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The Simulation Library

The large volume of information produced by any global climate model can easily exceed the manageable level. For this reason, EdGCM is built upon a database, so that all input data, model ouput and supplemental information relating to simulations is automatically organized in a readily searchable format. The database we use is called 4th Dimension, a popular cross-platform program from 4D, Inc. that we have licensed and distribute with EdGCM.

The simulation library provides a number of database management features. Within the simulation library, experiments may be listed in order by run or project ID, simulation label, date, or owner/creator of the simulation, making it simple to search, sort and access information from several different classes or from one semester. The Find function also allows more specific searches based upon character strings or particular key words.

An especially useful feature of the simulation library is the ability to import and export essential database information about single or multiple runs (not including raw model output because of the large size of those files). In this way, students and educators can share the simulations they create with colleagues at other schools or with research scientists, making it easy to collaborate on projects – a key goal of the EdGCM Cooperative Project. Exported simulations are small enough to be directly emailed to collaborators, or else they may be shared with the broader community through the Simulation Exchange on our website.

Setting Permissions

Because any alteration of the information within the Simulation Library is potentially catastrophic, access to the Simulation Library as well as individual simulations is restricted to users with the appropriate permissions. Permissions are set at two levels within EdGCM.

At the top level, user login names are added to a list of those with authorized access to EdGCM itself. To reach this window, select the User Editor from the File menu or press ctrl (or cmd) + 9. Users may be added or deleted by clicking on the + or - buttons at the bottom of the list field. An Admin user is listed by default, but does not have a password until you add one. We highly recommend that you do so, to prevent unauthorized access, but take care to keep note of the password in a secure place.

WARNING: Passwords are stored in encrypted form on the hard disk for added security LOST OR FORGOTTEN PASSWORDS CANNOT BE RECOVERED.

If the Admin password is lost or forgotten and no other usernames with administrative permissions have been created, there is no way to access the information in the Simulation Library. Avoid this potential disaster by creating at least one additional username with administrative permissions. Administrative permissions are assigned to a user by checking the Privileges box before saving the username and password.

Multiple users can be added through the User Editor at any time, by any user who already has administrative permissions; simply click on the Save button as each user is added, and then click Done once all desired usernames have been entered. We suggest assigning unique passwords to each user, and restricting administrative permissions to as few users as possible for security reasons. After usernames have been added to the list, quitting and restarting EdGCM will bring up a login window that appears for all subsequent launches of the interface. Users will need to enter the username and password that have been assigned to them in order to use EdGCM.

By default, all users with administrative permissions have access to all areas and functions within the database. It is also possible to assign full access permissions for one or more simulations to a particular user who otherwise does not have administrative access, from within the Simulation Library itself. Having full access to a simulation means that that user could then see the simulation in the toolbar’s run list, and add/modify/delete information associated with that run in the Simulation Library.

To assign permissions to a non- administrative user, select the run(s) of interest, and then click the Permissions button at the bottom of the library window. A new window will appear (Figure 3-10) displaying the names of all authorized EdGCM users, whether they have administrative permissions or not. Select a name from the user list and click the > button to add them as owners of the selected simulation(s). Existing owners may also have access removed by selecting their name in the owner list and clicking on the < button. Clicking on the asterisk button grants full access for all simulations to all users, which may occasionally be desirable but is not recommended.

Disk Maintenance: The Cleanup Utility

GCMs are good at two things: simulating global climate, and consuming huge amounts of hard disk space with output. Most research institutions use large arrays of disk drives to store these massive amounts of data, but that is a luxury few schools will have. As a solution, EdGCM contains a “smart” Cleanup utility. The Cleanup utility allows users to keep track of total disk space as well as the amount of space occupied by GCM simulation output. If storage space becomes limited, the Cleanup utility allows users to intelligently clean up the disk (i.e., without damaging the ability to later revisit simulation results) by removing the least important files first. Because running the Cleanup utility involves the deletion of files, it can only be accessed from within the Simulation Library by a user with administrative permissions for the run(s) to be maintenanced.

The Cleanup utility can be run at two levels. Basic Cleanup (Figure 3-11) will show the run(s) to be cleaned, the amount of disk space taken by the run(s), the size of the hard disk and the current used and available space. Clicking on the Basic Cleanup button will automatically remove those files that are most likely not needed for further analysis. This level of clean up is appropriate for most users.

Advanced Cleanup (Figure 3-12) shows the same information as Basic Cleanup, but gives added control over the specific types of files to save and delete. We highly recommend that only advanced users take advantage of this level of utility, as it is entirely possible to erase all of your data if you are not careful!