Linux driver for ThermoPC

[Administrator]

We recently developed a Linux application for ThermoPC. This accesses parallel port ( LPT1 ) directly using address 378 hex.

This was tested on Red Hat 7.1 only. You need root permissions to run the application.

It an be downloaded from http://www.bipom.com/tpclinux.htm

Any feedback is welcome.

Administrator

[Carlos Miguel]

Sadly ThermoPC was a little useless for my purposes...I needed to execute some actions based on the temp readings. Having the source code was handy, though I\'m a little lazy to program in C, so I ported the whole thing to Python and next I coded an application that launches a panic thread when temp goes high and sends text messages to my cel phone...pretty neat huh?
Though I must say that sometimes I get bogus readings either from your app or mine. You never mention either that it\'s necessary to load the kernel module for the parallel port (parport_pc).
Ohhh, one more thing, why doen\'t ThermoPC work with standard Linux drivers? (i2c-elev.o, ds1621.o and lm_sensors).
Well...two things....I couldn\'t get thermopc_unix to compile under Red Hat 9, any clues?...I\'m no a C guru but it looked like RH\'s header files were screwed

[Administrator]

Sending temperature alarms to cell phone is pretty cool!!!

On Red Hat 7.1, I did not have to load the kernel module for parallel port. I will check this.

What compile errors do you get when you compile under Red Hat 9 ?

Oguz

[Carlos Miguel]

Hi,
If I don\'t load partport_pc, the readings I get are always 254.8 degrees
When I tried to compile thermopc_unix under Red Hat 9, It throws a lot of "parse" and "conflicting type" errors when including timer.h, maybe I\'m pointing to the wrong includes, as I told earlier, I\'m no C expert   anyway, I\'m really comfortable with my Python port, and I expect having ThermoPC monitor my server room soon.
Python really shines for this kind of purposes, I\'ll be adding a threaded http server so I can keep an eye on temperature from my  desk

[Cameron Clark]

The linux version of this software is almost useless. Any chance of the logging feature being implemented? I mean it says in the source "Not yet implemented" but to be of any use beyond the casual "gee I wonder how hot it is in the server room" this device can\'t be used for any regular monitoring...

I\'m running it on Redhat 8.0, didn\'t need any kernel patches or modules. I just untarred the distro file and ran the executable. I was also able to recompile if I set the proper dependencies.

[Administrator]

The latest software on our website: http://www.bipom.com/tpclinux.htm

has command line switches to select units of measurement and specify a logging period.

For now, logged temperature values and timestamps are recorded in a fixed ( "thermopc.log" ) file.

[Carlos Miguel]

IMHO U should offer some kind of high level toolkit or API so we not so good programmers can take advantage of ThermoPC, let me tell U, the C version gave me a lot of headaches when I tried to make it send text messages to my cel phone, so I used SWIG to encapsulate ioperm, out and inp into a Python module, next I ported your C app to Python (it was a straightforward search and replace port, simulating the goto\'s with except:-raise:-finally: clauses), next I coded the application that logs the temperature, starts a HTTP server in a nonstd port for remote monitoring, and a panic thread that sends messages to a predefined list of people...I\'m a Thermo PC success history! it has already saved our SAN a couple of times from overheating death.

Just one wish: Will there be someday ThermoPC USB?? no new server comes with LPT ports no more.

[Oguz Murtezaoglu]

We will be releasing a serial ( COM port ) version soon. this powers from the COM port. It can be placed 25 or more feet away from the PC.

I am glad to hear that ThermoPC helped save your servers.

Oguz