Ken,
I just finished writing a series of scripts that will do something very
similar to what you say. We have several Agilents all running Linux
5.8. Upon authentication, a script asks for a charge code for billing
and records the user, code and time on a local file. Then, during
logout another script records the time. I put some mechanisms to try to
fix errors when, for example, a user doesn't log out properly but
instead reboots the computer. The codes are kept in a server so a user
only has to enter it once in one machine and all other instruments will
"remember" it. A third script takes care of reading the log and
producing a report with log times and codes and total times and charge
per code and per user.
In RedHat, the default login program is gdm; the gnome display manager.
So the login and logout scripts are called from modified
/etc/gdm/PostLogin/Default and from /etc/gdm/PostSession/Default
respectively. To codes file could be accessed via different mechanisms
like NFS, ssh or http, but I finally opted for the latter. So the
server has a private http/php server and a php script keeps the file
updated when requested from any instruments by its login script.
If you want to keep only one central log then the login script could
also send the instrument/user/code/time information to the apache server
to maintain a central log there.
If you really want to turn on and off monitors... I remember Rudi
Nunlist at the University of California at Berkeley had done that about
20 years ago. The program/hardware was called reslog if I remember
correctly. Or you could write your own server and have it turn on/off
the hardware via inexpensive microcontrollers like an Arduino.
Best regards,
Eugenio
Eugenio Alvarado, Ph.D.
Co-Director, NMR Services
Chemistry Department, University of Michigan
930 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1055.
Voice: (734)-764-9924, Fax: (734)-647-1179
On 10/19/2012 10:35 AM, Ken Knott wrote:
>
> We are looking for suggestions for a way to centralize the
> logging/billing of our various NMR instruments. With seven
> instruments varying in manufacturer, vintage, and software versions it
> is becoming increasingly cumbersome to collect and compile the logs
> from each instrument and come up with billing info.
>
> Something we envision would be a central log in PC that would
> essentially activate each specific instrument upon logging in by the
> user (perhaps by turning on a monitor) and track usage until the user
> logs back out at the central PC. At a minimum it would simply collect
> time logs for each user at each instrument and total the usage of all
> instruments for each user.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions as to how the perform this task at
> their facility or have any commercial software they recommend?
>
> Thanks,
>
> --
> Ken Knott
> Department of Chemistry
> Analytical Services
>
> (540)267-6502 <tel:%28540%29267-6502> (Cell)
> (540)231-8256 <tel:%28540%29231-8256> (Office)
>
>
>
>
> --
> Ken Knott
> Department of Chemistry
> Analytical Services
>
> (540)267-6502 (Cell)
> (540)231-8256 (Office)
>
Received on Mon Oct 22 2012 - 04:04:51 MST