Re: [ferret_users] Re: Ferret Update to v6.82

[Karl Smith <karl.smith@xxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

I just now remembered why the data files are "operating system" (OS) dependent.  The dependency is actually on the Fortran compiler, not the OS.  Technical details: the font data files are written as Fortran 'unformatted' binary files.  When writing binary data in this form, most Fortran compilers use a 4-btye header for each record of data written.  However, gfortran used a 8-byte header, then switched (back) to the usual 4-byte header in the most recent versions.  

So the font data files should not depend on the OS, but should only depend whether the Fortran compiler uses a 4-byte header or an 8-byte header.  

So if Ferret appears to run, but then comes up with *font* errors when trying to plot, you should try the solutions listed below.

-- Karl

On Thu, Aug 16, 2012 at 8:54 AM, Karl Smith <karl.smith@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hi Szymon,

Those look like the correct font files for the RHEL6-64bit installation.  When using Finstall to install the ferret executables (and other OS-dependent files, such as these font files), the Finstall program renames existing files, appending .old, instead of just clobbering the old files.

I am not quite sure why these font data files are OS dependent, but it might be that Fedora 16  needs different font data files from RHEL6.  Not sure why that would be, but your results seem to be indicating this since the ferret program is otherwise running for you.  I see two options:

(1) See if the old fonts will work for you: move the new font files out of the way (make a new directory and move them there), then rename all the .old font files back to their original names.  Then test ferret using the old font files by trying to make any simple plot ("go ptest").

(2) Build the font files in $FER_DIR/bin/build_fonts/unix.  To do this you will need to modify the Makefile in that directory to remove the "include ../../../site_specific.mk" and "include ../../../platform_specific.mk.$(BUILDTYPE)".  Your will need to defined the environment variables F77 (as 'gfortran') and PLOTFONTS as the directory to contain the build fonts.  (You can just use the current definition, but again move the existing font files out of the way if you want to keep them.)  Then run
'make clean' (just to make sure no old 'binary' executable or data files are in this build directory),
'make' (build the 'binary' executable and then make all the font data files), and
'make install' (copies the font data files to $PLOTFONTS).
Again, test ferret using these fonts.

-- Karl

-- 
Karl M. Smith, Ph.D.
JISAO Univ. Wash. and TMAP/PMEL NOAA

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