Question:

Orbmonrtd fails with Can't connect to server message

The following error message is displayed:

% orbmonrtd :pinon
wish8.3: Can't connect to server
Connection refused
Error in startup script: orb: orbopen() error on :pinon
while executing
"orb testrb_$orb $orb r"
("foreach" body line 3)
invoked from within
"foreach orb $orblist {
orb testrb_$orb $orb r
if {[info exists select_string] == 0} {
testrb_$orb select $select($orb)
} else {
testrb_$orb s..."
(file "/opt/antelope/dev/bin/orbmonrtd" line 917)

Answer:

There are three things to check when orbmonrtd fails.

1. Are you allowed to connect to that orb?
2. Is the orb you are trying to connect to actually running?
3. Are you using the proper parameter file (and does it contain the proper net/sta/chan and orb:port information?

Check for (1) by looking at the orbserver.pf that is used for the orb you are connecting to. This is simple if you are grabbing data from a local orb that you have access to. If you are pulling data from a remote site, you may have to get in touch with the network/data manager and ask them to add your IP addresses to their orbserver.pf file.

Next, verify that the orb is actually up and running. In the above example, run an "orbstat -s :pinon". If you haven't updated your orbserver_names.pf file, orbstat, orbmonrtd, rtexec, etc. will not be able to interpret the port name of "pinon". If orbserver_names.pf has been updated and you get a "Can't connect to server", you are most likely not running an orbserver. Start your real-time system.

Finally, you may not be using the proper orbmonrtd.pf file. Check your environment variable "PFPATH". Make sure it includes the directory with your locally modfied orbmonrtd.pf file. Check which orbmonrtd.pf file you are using with "pfecho -w orbmonrtd". Normally you would have copied this file from $ANTELOPE/data/pf and modified it to included your particular sta/chans. Check that the orbmonrtd.pf file does not specify an ORB:port that is different than ":pinon" (in this example). When you choose "Save state" from a running orbmonrtd window you will see a "sources &Tbl" that has entries like this:

AZ_PFO_HHZ :anza 43200.000 -2000.000 2000.000 4000 30
CI_USB_HLZ :anza 43200.000 -8000.000 8000.000 4000 30
II_PFO_BHZ bbarray:gsn 43200.000 -4000.000 4000.000 4000 30

If you are not allowed to connect to any of the orbs, or they are not running, your orbmonrtd may fail.