Remote Data Collection

Here is a video on how to set your NX connection. Please note that the b3 GUI used in the video is no longer used. If you do not already have an account with the BCSB, please contact the beamline staff to obtain one.

STEP 1: INSTALL THE NX CLIENT

The NX client is free and easy to install. Please refer to our NX page for instructions on downloading, installing and configuring the client. It is important that you follow the configuration instructions carefully – the new NX client is very sensitive to the correct settings.

Remote NoMachine Viewing tip:

Some users are reporting not being able to see the entire GUI on their screen. Adjusting the resolution settings in the NoMachine client can greatly improve viewing. To improve resolution, follow these steps after you have connected:

1. Click on the square, red NoMachine icon towards the upper right or left of your screen and select “Show the Menu Panel”

2. Click “Display”

3. Click “Fit to Screen” as on and “Fullscreen” as off. You can enlarge to full screen manually later.

4. Click “Change Settings”

5. Slide the selections for “Quality” and “Resolution” to their highest settings.

6. Click “Done” three times until you return to your desktop. Your resolution should be much better and you should be able to see the entire GUI. On some monitors and laptops, you may not be able to use the highest settings. You will need to experiment with which settings work best for your system.

STEP 2: CONNECT TO THE BCSB DATA PROCESSING MACHINE (Anytime)

The machines bcsb-cnx.als.lbl.gov and bcsb-nx.als.lbl.gov are used for remote data processing. These machines have HKL2000, mosflm, ccp4…etc. You can log on anytime to process data or test connectivity of your NX configuration from your network.

When connected successfully, a Linux desktop should appear in your NX window. Right click on the desktop to open a terminal window. You can call any of our data processing programs from a command line in the terminal window.

The following directories map to the /data partitions on the beamlines, where your data is stored for up to 2 weeks after your run:

/data/bl501 /data/bl502 /data/bl503 /data/bl821 /data/bl822

Processing data remotely is no different than local (with the exception of some issues with HKL2000 when zooming and unzooming. We recommend that you do not zoom until this is fixed).

STEP 3: CONNECT TO THE BEAMLINE MACHINE (During scheduled beamtime)

You will have access to the beamline *only* during your allocated beamline. The hostname will be:

FOR BEAMLINE 5.0.1: HOSTNAME IS bl501-ccd2.als.lbl.gov

FOR BEAMLINE 5.0.2: HOSTNAME IS bl502-ccd2.als.lbl.gov

FOR BEAMLINE 5.0.3: HOSTNAME IS bl503-ccd2.als.lbl.gov

FOR BEAMLINE 8.2.1: HOSTNAME IS bl821-ccd2.als.lbl.gov

FOR BEAMLINE 8.2.2: HOSTNAME IS bl822-ccd2.als.lbl.gov

Link to video on setting up remote NX session: HERE

On the day of your beamtime, our beamline staff will send you an email or give you a phone call as soon as the beamline is ready.

Once you are logged into the beamline machine during your beamtime, you can open up the beamline control software by typing “bos.csh” or “b4” in a terminal window. (Note: if this alias has not been set in your account, you can type the full path instead: /prod/BOS/b4.csh)

Please make sure you know which pucks you want to have loaded and in which dewar they are. Please leave clear instructions with your dewars in which order you want to have your pucks loaded. Changing pucks after 4:30 pm Pacific time, will be handled by our evening and night staff. During weekdays, we typically have coverage between 5am and midnight. The support number is: 510-495-2500.

If you would like to test the speed of your connection, you can go to the website speedtest.net. Select San Francisco as the target site to get an idea of the speed to our area.