2. Quick start
This section is a brief guide describing how to start simulations with RESTRAX. It assumes the program is already installed on your system (see description). If you need to compile/install the program first, see the installation guide.
Step 1
To start your work, just call restrax
from a terminal window:
% restrax
or try this if it doesn't work.
In the first menu, select the EXCI module (definition of the scattering function S(Q,E)) to be loaded initially. You can reload another module at runtime by the command EXCI. It is therefore good idea to start just with the default one (damped harmonic oscillators):
Start with model :
------------------
1 ... Damped oscillators
2 ... Damped oscillators with an adjustable dispersion gradient
3 ... Bond charge model (phonons in Si, Ge, ...)
4 ... Diffuse incommensurate fluctuations
In the second menu, the starting script offers a choice from available instrument configurations. There is a set of
demo configurations available in the default installation. Select any one. The demo
sessions would start with
a tutorial-like session from a job file, default
just starts the interactive mode. You can also switch to the
interactive mode from a job file execution by typing <Q><ENTER>.
Select session/instrument:
------------------------------------------------------------------
1 ... default
2 ... demo, data fitting (damped oscillators)
3 ... demo, phonons in Si
4 ... demo, flatcone multianalyzer, diffuse satellites
5 ... demo, simultaneus fitting of multiple data (damped oscillators)
RESTRAX then starts with initial prompts as follows. Press ENTER to accept offered answers:
Configurations will be searched in /usr/local/restrax/demo/osc
Path to data files [/usr/local/restrax/demo/osc] :
Configuration updated: restrax46.cfg
Name of a parameter or data file [303] :
ResTrax>
?
to list available commands, or see the commmands reference page.Alternatively, if you have chosen a demo, RESTRAX would guide you through the selected session. Look in the corresponding jobfile to learn the commands used.
Step 2
In order to get correct results, the TAS configuration file has to describe your instrument correctly. Typically, there are several files for each instrument available, which correspond to different options (monochromator choice, beam collimation etc.). Try the command LSCFG to list *.cfg files in your search directory and the command CFG to load the required one.
You can also edit the *.cfg file by yourself. Copy any *.cfg file as a template to your current directory. When you call it by CFG, it will have priority over those in remote directories. Try to edit it as a text file (see help), or using the form on the RESTRAX server. Don't forget to update the configuration by re-loading the file with CFG.
If RESTRAX doesn't start
It is possible that there is a link missing on your workstation from RESTRAX installation directory to a directory listed in your $PATH environment variable, e.g. /usr/local/bin. In such a case, look whether you can see the restrax starting script,
% ls /usr/local/restrax/start
If yes, call this script directly and/or make an alias to it in your .profile (or .login) file so that you can call it with a simple name:
% alias restrax /usr/local/restrax/start
% restrax
If you cannot find restrax on your system, ask your system administrator or install it locally under your account (see the installation guide).