This is the local archive software for The Astronomer's Telegram
(ATEL), known in its official release as ATEL Mirror v1.1 release
date March 31 2004. 

You may obtain a copy of this software from the ATEL Parent Site
astronomerstelegram.org

The program operates as a CGI script, which can be accessed through a
CGI-capable web-server.  If you do not know what this means, it is
unlikely you will be able to get it up and running, and you are
advised to request your system administrator do so.

CAPABILITIES: Who should obtain a copy. 

The most important function of ATEL Mirror v1.1 is that it maintains
and updates a local archive of posted ATEL messages. This is most
important for people whose connection to the Parent Site
(astronomerstelegram.org) is slow, making reading the telegrams difficult.
If your connection to the Parent Site is fast, then you do not need
ATEL Mirror v1.0.  Other ATEL functions -- such as email list
maintainance, posting, or registration for posting, are presently only
operated at the Parent Site.

The local archive is searchable, using a variety of filters. 

The site also maintains an up-to-date report on the usuability and
improvements which may be obtained from future updates. 

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Operating System: ATEL Mirror is developed and tested under Solaris
2.6, and makes use of UNIX directory tree structures, and should work
under any UNIX system.  Other OSs are presently not supported,
although may incidentally work with this release. You are encouraged
to contact the editor (Robert Rutledge -- rutledge@srl.caltech.edu)
with information about your OS, and in answer to sufficient demand,
this may be supported in future releases.

Software: 
 * Perl v5.004 or greater (although it has not been tested with older
versions of Perl, it may work).
 * A CGI-capable server. 
Disk Space: 2Mb, plus space for messages (<4kB per message).
Memory: <2Mb


INSTALLATION

1) Obtain the tar file atelmirror.tar.  Untar the package on a
computer meeting the above system requirements, and it will load into
it's own subdirectory (atelmirror1.1).

2) Inspect the first line of the file "index.cgi" for the perl
executed, and determine that the perl program is at the specified
location (/usr/local/bin/perl).  IF this is not your system's perl,
then you wil need to change this line, and the first lines in the
files "constants.pl" and "update.pl".  

3) Open the file "constants.pl" for editing, and alter the first three
lines for your system.  The first two lines specify the URL which will
(and must) be used to access your ATEL Mirror site.  

The third line sets a variable which -- if equal to 1 -- will permit a
user at your website to click a provided button to have the website
update at that moment.   

In addition, it is possible to set up a cron process to execute
periodic updates.  To do so,  have cron execute the perl script
"update.pl" at some desired interval.  For information about cron, see
the cron man pages, or a UNIX manual.  An example of a line to enter
into your cron process, which will update the site once per hour, at
30 minutes past the hour (when the "update.pl" file is located in the
directory "/home/atelmirror") is:

30 * * * * /home/atelmirror/update.pl

And to update the site once per day, at 3:30am local time:

30 3 * * * /home/atelmirror/update.pl

4) Make sure your permissions are all set properly, to permit both reading 
and writing of files in the subdirectories below atelmirror. 

5) Finally, execute "update.pl".  If your system is set up properly, 
this will set up the archive which will be immediately readable by your browser. 



REPORTING BUGS

Please send bug reports to the Editor, R. Rutledge
(rutledge@astronomerstelegram.org).

KNOWN BUGS

1) Auto-linking, which works fine on the Parent Site, is having some
difficulty here.


COPYRIGHT

This program is based upon and is itself freeware, and may be freely
modified, re-distributed, and used.  It is provided without warantee.

The electronic data which is distributed using this software is itself
copyrighted, owned typically by the authors, for which a non-exclusive
royalty-free license to archive and redistribute in electronic form
has been granted to The Astronomer's Telegram (ATEL) by the authors.
ATEL Mirror is a means by which electronic redistribution and
local cacheing may be attained, and is therefore covered under this
granted copyright.  Further re-distribution, electronic or otherwise,
from local sites other than the Parent Site of ATEL (atel.caltech.edu)
is likely not permitted under the present copyright laws of the United
States.  It is the responsibility of the authors or their agents to
enforce their copyrights.

UPDATES

v1.1 -- Fixes a date interpretation bug present in v1.0. 

