Processing Data speed

[amaclac]

There is an inconsistency in the speed of processing the data when connecting to the laptop (fairly new laptop Windows 10). For example, today it was particularly bad just having to process less than a 24 hour period taking around 4 minutes. On other days, it can fly through it.

I am using Cumulus 1.9.4 build 1094.

[PaulMy]

I would suggest you first update to the latest Cumulus 1.9.4 build 1099! or CumulusMX.
If you mean the catch up of logger data when you restart Cumulus, check that your logger interval and Cumulus log interval are set the same, both 30 min, 10 min or whatever https://cumuluswiki.org/a/FAQ#Cumulus_t ... t_start_up

Enjoy,
Paul

[amaclac]

Thanks for the advice. I have tried upgrading the software but it is not very user friendly for someone who is not good on computers, so I guess I will have to remain on this version until someone with good knowledge comes to visit me after lockdown!

[sfws]

There is an inconsistency in the speed of processing the data when connecting to the laptop (fairly new laptop Windows 10). For example, today it was particularly bad just having to process less than a 24 hour period taking around 4 minutes. On other days, it can fly through it.

I can't actually tell you exactly how Cumulus 1 works when catching-up. Your variation is however not unusual, I and I am sure others saw it sometimes when running Cumulus 1. If Cumulus 1 seemed slow for me in doing a catch up, I sometimes forced it to stop and start again using the "rewind" method described in the FAQ as linked at top of every forum page. But you do need to understand the background to what is involved for that.

As to reason, you might have some processes you can't see happening in the background on your computer. Lots of software, particularly newer versions installs various processes that run at particular intervals, and can cause problems by hogging some resources. It could be your anti-virus software doing a scan, Windows looking for updates, some other software looking for updates, that sort of thing.

I would agree with Paul's advice, the final version of Cumulus 1 might be more stable and more reliable because of the fixes in 1095, 1096, 1097, 1098, and 1099.

I have tried upgrading the software but it is not very user friendly for someone who is not good on computers, so I guess I will have to remain on this version until someone with good knowledge comes to visit me after lockdown!

The Cumulus 1 you are using has a very easy to understand help text; just click the menu where it says help!
Cumulus 1 also has a lot of other documentation:
- A short guide to setup is at https://cumuluswiki.org/a/Setup.
- For a first time user of Cumulus 1 there is a detailed guide at https://cumuluswiki.org/Downloads/Cumul ... 0guide.pdf, but as you are upgrading you don't need to do all that setting up.
- There is a brief guide to upgrade in the FAQ link at the top of each forum page, just click https://cumuluswiki.org/a/FAQ#How_do_I_ ... release.3F for a direct link to the relevant answer.

A Cumulus 1 upgrade is very simple to do, but I will take you through it.

To upgrade to latest build 1099.2:
An upgrade simply overwrites the existing installation with new code, but it does not change any existing data. Consequently, you don't need to worry you will mess anything up.
Obviously you have to exit Cumulus so it stops using the files you are going to update.
1. If you are frightened you might lose something you have customised, take a copy of the "Cumulus" directory by right clicking on it, select Copy and then right click somewhere empty on your desktop and select Paste. You now have a copy, that after lockdown anybody can find! It is also a copy that you can be told how to return to, without a visit.
2. go to https://cumuluswiki.org/a/Software#Cumulus_1, click on that link to download the installation routine.
3. That software page tells you to read through all the release information, I have done that for you, going from 1094 to 1099.2 does not need any extra actions (as Paul suggests some bugs are fixed and some extra features are added, but there is nothing extra for you to do).
4. So just click on your download, the same sort of installation screen (see https://cumuluswiki.org/a/Setup) you might see when updating anything else on your PC appears, just follow the instructions (click Next), it will automatically overwrite your existing installation. As I say it updates the code but does not affect your data.
5. When the install finishes, you exit it and simply restart Cumulus. It is as simple as that.

To upgrade from Cumulus 1 to MX
You still need to upgrade to latest Cumulus 1 first, because MX builds on that last stable version, so there might be extra setting to alter if using files from your 1094 build.
1 to 5. Follow instructions as above.
6. Do some reading. Sorry, but changing from Cumulus 1 to MX does need a bit of work, and what you need to do is dependent on various factors in your Station settings, I suspect your station has same settings as mine, but I can't be absolutely sure of that to specifically state what you need to do.
7. I have tried to gather all the information that was scattered in many places into one place https://cumuluswiki.org/a/Cumulus_MX. I have even included there the steps I went through when I swapped from Cumulus 1 to MX back in March, if you are brave try that guide to the sequence.

[amaclac]

Thank you so much for your comprehensive reply. The link to Cumulus 1 in your point 2 takes me to the Wiki page and I have clicked on the 1099.2 patch but it downloads as a zip file. I earlier downloaded Winzip but I have no idea what that is doing with the zip downloads, so I am none the wiser I am afraid!

[freddie]

To upgrade to latest build 1099.2:
An upgrade simply overwrites the existing installation with new code, but it does not change any existing data. Consequently, you don't need to worry you will mess anything up.
Obviously you have to exit Cumulus so it stops using the files you are going to update.
1. If you are frightened you might lose something you have customised, take a copy of the "Cumulus" directory by right clicking on it, select Copy and then right click somewhere empty on your desktop and select Paste. You now have a copy, that after lockdown anybody can find! It is also a copy that you can be told how to return to, without a visit.
2. go to https://cumuluswiki.org/a/Software#Cumulus_1, click on that link to download the installation routine.
3. That software page tells you to read through all the release information, I have done that for you, going from 1094 to 1099.2 does not need any extra actions (as Paul suggests some bugs are fixed and some extra features are added, but there is nothing extra for you to do).
4. So just click on your download, the same sort of installation screen (see https://cumuluswiki.org/a/Setup) you might see when updating anything else on your PC appears, just follow the instructions (click Next), it will automatically overwrite your existing installation. As I say it updates the code but does not affect your data.
5. When the install finishes, you exit it and simply restart Cumulus. It is as simple as that.

I don't wish to muddy the waters, but I don't think you can install 1099.2 like the other releases, as it is just a patch (zip file containing the Cumulus executable) - there is no installer. So, to get to 1099.2 you have to do this:

• Download 1099 and use the installer as per the above description.
• Once 1099 is installed, download the 1099.2 patch, unzip, and copy the executable (cumulus.exe) to your 1099 installation.

[amaclac]

Thanks Freddie - I cannot find a direct link to the 1099 software - any idea where I might find it? I have looked around the WIki pages but can only see patches.

[freddie]

I cannot find a direct link to the 1099 software

It looks as if it may have been removed for some reason. You could try the following link - that looks as if it may be the correct one. It will download a setup exe file for Cumulus 1.9.4 build 1099.

[sfws]

I cannot find a direct link to the 1099 software

It looks as if it may have been removed for some reason. You could try the following link - that looks as if it may be the correct one. It will download a setup exe file for Cumulus 1.9.4 build 1099.

The patch 1099.2 at exactly the place I linked to https://cumuluswiki.org/a/Software#Cumulus_1 is what you should use, i.e. https://cumuluswiki.org/Downloads/cumulus.1099.2.zip . The old 1099 build that Freddie links to was removed because its dropdown lists ended with 2019! I don't think anybody would want that, so SaratogaWX was right to remove that at 17:30 last Tuesday.

Freddie has recently edited the pink area above here in the forum to point out the patch should be used, so he should know that!

Legacy Cumulus 1 release v1.9.4 (build 1099) - 28 November 2014 (a patch is available for 1.9.4 build 1099 that extends the date range of the NOAA report and Snow Index drop-down menus to 2030)

[amaclac]

They certainly don't make it easy! I have downloaded from that link and my version is showing the same as before: Version 1.9.4 version 1094.

[freddie]

The patch 1099.2 at exactly the place I linked to

But that is just a (zipped up) patched executable. There's no installer in the patch - which is how Cumulus 1 is installed (properly). This is why, when I edited the announcement panel, I left the reference to the original 1099 build in place. If you "install" the patch all you get is the executable - nothing else.

[sfws]

They certainly don't make it easy!

I agree with you. It all used to be easy, I had not realised it was not any more. I did not realise how much Cumulus 1 had become inaccessible to those like you wanting to do an upgrade. It is probably why so many web sites I look at are using out of date versions of Cumulus 1. I'm not happy that the developers are making assumptions about our knowledge in this, because builds 1090 to 1099 are also labelled as patches in the versions page of the Wiki, yet they behave differently to also so-called patches 1099.1 and 1099.2. I wonder how non-technical people are meant to understand all this.

I have downloaded from that link and my version is showing the same as before: Version 1.9.4 Build 1094

Well, I am surprised at that, because Mark says his patch changes the displayed build number, but I can't be expected to understand the language professional developers like Freddie and Mark use. My own time as a professional in computing was decades ago, and I never encountered these concepts.

Ok, it seems I need to issue a new set of instructions:
Put a copy of your downloaded patch somewhere safe.
Download the installer that Freddie linked to. Run that, then copy your patch on top of the Cumulus.exe in the install.
Let me know how that works, and I will work out a way to put amended instructions on a Wiki page that I can edit.

But that is just a (zipped up) patched executable. There's no installer in the patch - which is how Cumulus 1 is installed (properly)

The decision to remove the "patched from 1099 November 2014 source" link must have been made somewhere between Ken and Mark for that edit I mentioned. I know I have been asking for that Software page to be updated for a while, but I did not ask for that link to be removed, just for the patch to be promoted, and a few other structural changes to make the page friendlier.

[amaclac]

"Put a copy of your downloaded patch somewhere safe.
Download the installer that Freddie linked to. Run that, then copy your patch on top of the Cumulus.exe in the install."

Sadly I am not technical enough to do this so I will stay where I am and if it takes a few minutes to update each time I connect, so be it. For info, it was a lot quicker this morning. I was thinking there might be a temp file holding connection up, but it appears not.

Thanks for your efforts, guys. This is clearly not designed for non-techies like me!

[mcrossley]

My "patches" are just that, hacks to the executable. As we do not have access to the original source files I cannot re-generate the C1 installer.

So yes, I think the last "Steve" versions of C1 should still be available, plus my patch zip to replace the executable post install. I didn't realise the final release had been removed from the download page.

[sfws]

"Put a copy of your downloaded patch somewhere safe.
Download the installer that Freddie linked to. Run that, then copy your patch on top of the Cumulus.exe in the install."

Sadly I am not technical enough to do this so I will stay where I am and if it takes a few minutes to update each time I connect, so be it. For info, it was a lot quicker this morning. I was thinking there might be a temp file holding connection up, but it appears not.

Thanks for your efforts, guys. This is clearly not designed for non-techies like me!

Look just download the installer CumulusSetup.exe from https://cumuluswiki.org/Downloads/CumulusSetup.exe. Run that installer. Then done, you are on 1099, the final version.

Forget about the patch to 1099.2, you don't have years 2020 to 2030 in your dropdowns now, and you are coping without them! Maybe one day someone can help you with that final step, or to swap to MX!