Rainer Gerhards, Author at Rainer Gerhards

2007-10-12

rsyslog 1.19.9 released

I have just released rsyslog 1.19.9. It is now two weeks since the last release. I have taken some extra time to make sure that the release system (source tarball) now fits the packagers’ and user’s needs. Also, some time went into hunting the segfault, though this was still quite fruitless. However, mildew has identified that the segfault seems to occur only on 64 bit machines, which is a very good hint.

I’ll now watch for comments on the 1.19.9 release and then see if I myself can do anything against the segfault early next week (I am setting up another x64 machine for testing). Later the week, I’ll be heading for my space shuttle launch viewing trip, which will unfortunately mean that my focus will not be on rsyslog (by my co-workers will keep it up).

2007-10-12

Soyuz Spacecraft has docked to ISS

Right at this moment, the Soyuz spacecraft with the expedition 16 crew has successfully docked to the international space station. This is a very important milestone, as proper crew exchange is a vital perquisite for a successful STS-120 mission and thus needed before space shuttle Discovery can launch.

2007-10-12

worklog for the past days…

Work on rsyslog was focussed on the new packaging and bug fixing. Most importantly, people had problems with the new tarball introduced in 1.19.8 and we have made sure that 1.19.9 will again meet the expectations. We’ve done a round of pre-releases on the mailing list and managed to get down to something that seems to be quite acceptable. The official 1.19.9 release will most probably be released later today.

Here are the details:

2007-10-08
– changed the threading to include one extra thread that runs the
mainloop. This was done to work around a problem with malloc/free. Note
that we are still running on two threads – the startup thread just waits
for the new one to finish. For a description of the problem I try to
work-around, please see:
http://rgerhards.blogspot.com/2007/10/could-i-really-reproduce-bug.html
Note that this is an experimental change, which will only stay if it
proves to fix the segfault issue we are dealing with.
2007-10-10
– changed the build system to use a single source tarball again (but
different makefiles for the main project and ommysql)
thanks to varmojfekoj for the patch
2007-10-11
– applied fixes from Michael Biebl:
1.) fix failing compilation of ommysql plugin (s/ommysql-config.h/config.h/)
2.) fix mysql configure check (although the default is no, we did
check for the mysql devel files)
3.) Create a separate Makefile.am for the doc files. This cleans up
the toplevel Makefile.am considerably and makes it much more readable
and maintainable.
3b) Assign the html doc files to html_DATA. This means, they are
installed to $(hmtdir), which by autoconf standards is
$(prefix)/share/doc/$packagename/.
4.) Reformat the SOURCES line to make it better readable and maintainable.
– integrated patch by varmojfekoj to tweak build system even further
– Peter Vrabec requested doc not to be “stored” in html_DATA – changed that

2007-10-12

Expedition 16 rockets to ISS

I found this nice image of the expedition 16 rocketing into space inside their Soyuz capsule. Look how cramped it is in the Soyuz spacecraft. It’s design is quite old, but it is extremely reliable. The Russian space agency is also considering a new design with more room.

When the space shuttle is retired in 2010, the Soyuz will be the only spacecraft capable of ferrying crew to and from the space station. The US will catch up with that a few years later when the Orion, also a capsule design, but much roomier, has made its maiden flight.

2007-10-12

Shuttle-Level view of RSS re-attachment now available..

I now also have created a video of the shuttle-level view of the rotating service structure re-attachment to the space shuttle. It unfortunately does not offer the same time resolution as the MLP-view, but I think it is still an interesting animation.

2007-10-12

Movie of Rotating Service Structure re-attached to Shuttle

Yesterday, I captured NASA public webcam images and created a small animation from them. It shows how the rotating service structure (RSS) is being reattached to space shuttle Discovery.

The RSS had to be rolled back to carry out the APU hotfire test, which was postponed to yesterday due to bad weather. I have not yet heard of any test results, but assume all went well.

The video is the ground-level MLP view, the actual space shuttle can not be seen. When the video starts, watch the shadows. You will see the RSS shadow before you see the RSS itself.

To watch the video, please go to my personal site – it is too big to fit into this blog’s theme. The link is:

RSS being re-attached to mobile launcher platform

2007-10-11

Launch Tickets have arrived!

Finally my tickets for launch viewing have arrived! Getting hold of these tickets was quite complicated. I knew when the were offered for sale and I knew what I was heading for — but tickets sell out very quickly every time.

What you want to get are “launch transportation tickets” or ltt’s for short. These allow you onto the NASA causeway where you have an unobstructed view of the launch complex. It is also the closest place you can get to without having a VIP pass (and being German, obtaining a VIP pass is more than problematic – aka “forget about it”. US citizens may approach their Senator to obtain them, which is known to work).

I was quick enough to purchase some ltts, but only together with the “breakfast with an astronaut” package. The breakfast is at 5:30am, so this was the least demanded ticket and probably the cause I could get hold of it.

Ever since I purchased them I was eager to get them into my hands. I inquired at Kennedy Space Center when they may be shipped. The answer was October, 8th – and I hoped that they would arrive in time, given that it was international shipment and I intend to leave home on the 19th. The KSC folks assured me that tickets were send via express courier, so there should be no need to worry (besides, of course, the hefty shipping fee).

What should I say – they were absolutely right. Yesterday (!), I received a nice package via UPS containing my full ticket set. That was exactly two days to reach me – well done, folks. I didn’t blog yesterday about it because I was so occupied with Discovery’s leading edge problem.

I have take a picture of the ticket set, just in case you are interested and have not yet seen any. Click the link to obtain a hires version which will get you the details. There, you’ll see the big car placard, which must be placed on your dashboard to gain access to Kennedy Space center. Then, there is a small information page (with the big black bar on it) that covers everything you need to know. And finally, there are three small tickets: one gets you access to KSC at launch day, one is for your breakfast and finally there is the LTT, which gets you to NASA causeway, the public launch viewing spot. And now I have all of them in my hands :).

I am quite happy now: the tickets were more or less the last item on my go/no go list. Also, it again looks like Discovery will launch inside the scheduled launch window. What more can I ask for? Wish me luck that things will remain on this good track …

2007-10-11

Official Word from NASA: Discovery wing edge does not delay launch!

As of the NASA shuttle program home page, the heat shield issue seems no longer to be a show stopper:

One of the topics discussed before the conclusion of the program review Wednesday involved the reinforced carbon carbon, or RCC, on Discovery’s wing leading edge panels. In the past, there have been post-flight indications that the edges of a couple of panels have lost small amounts of their upper-level coating. Thermography, or thermal imagery, has been used to inspect the panels in order to identify any internal defects that could lead to coating loss.

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) has been working with shuttle engineers to better understand the potential causes of coating loss. At Wednesday’s meeting, NESC recommended replacing three of Discovery’s 44 panels.

Discovery has flown at least twice with these panels in the current condition, and with no indications of degradation based on thermography. At this point, the Space Shuttle Program has determined that Discovery’s astronauts can safely carry out their mission without having to replace the panels.

That sounds to me as clear indication that NASA intends to launch Discovery as is. I speculated about this solution this morning and I am glad to read it now seems to be official policy. Of course, that does not mean Discovery will launch under all circumstances. Space flight is far too risky and something may happen at any instant. After all, we have nearly two weeks of pre-launch activities before us. But it now sounds likely again that there will be a launch — even on-time. So I stop thinking about how to cancel my trip … ;)

2007-10-11

APU hotfire test about to begin

The APU hotfire test seems to be carried out right now. The rotating service structure (RSS) has just moved to parking position. The hotfire test was originally scheduled for immediately after space shuttle Discovery’s rollout to the pad, but had to be postponed due to bad weather at Kennedy Space Center. It was re-scheduled post FRR, which is today.

There was some discussion whether or not NASA would do this test (there seems to be no hard requirement), but it now seems to be done.

2007-10-11

An Alternative to Shuttle and Constellation? ;)

While browsing the web, I found an interesting blog entry on the “space elevator”. In short, it is an elevator-like concept that is promised to deliver people and material at a much lower cost into orbit — with a real elevator-like system. It sounds much like a curiosity, but has received serious consideration, even in scientific circles. However the latest scientific news I read (don’t remember where) is that no current material is strong enough to withstand the forces. The conclusion there was that it could not be done…

You might find this blog post an interesting read:

Good by Space Shuttle. Hello Space Elevator.