These are some installation notes for Precis, on version 1.94. The software has been installed and configured to run on a CentOS 6.4 machine, 64 bit. Precis manual is public available and downloadable from:
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/pdf/5/4/tech_man_vn1.9.2.pdf
First, uncompress the archive:
tar -zxvf /tmp/Precis194.tgz
Install some 32 bit libs and ImageMagick for convert tool (ImageMagick.x86_64 is fine). You will need TK too:
yum install libX11.i686 libXext.i686 libXt.i686 zlib.i686 ImageMagick tk
The Public Domain Kown Shell is recommended, as well as the xanim viewer for X Window System. You will find them on the original Precis package (Precis_vn1.9.4/utils):
rpm -ivh pdksh-5.2.14-16.i386.rpm
rpm -ivh xanim-2.80.1-7.i386.rpm
Create a precis user. Take into account a 8GB install for the whole package:
useradd precis -d /home/precis
Once the environment is ready, proceed for installation. Copy the install scripts to the precis’ home:
cp -va /tmp/Precis_vn1.9.4/install_* ~precis
Run now the installer, with argument the uncompressed package:
./precis /tmp/Precis_vn1.9.4/
The installation procedure should complete with:
...
Installing abxsqa.dah8c10
100% [==============================================================]
*** Installation complete ***
REMINDER: setvars has to be sourced before precis is run for the first time.
Source setvars with '. ~/setvars' before typing 'precis'
Run setvar to set the invoronment:
. ~/setvars
Run precis. be sure to export a X session, since precis is a GUI mode only software:
precis
As described on manual on page 84, Precis writes output files on a archive/ directory under the precis user home directory. As described in Appendix C in the same manual, the archive directory stores different Precis run in different directory. On each sub-directory you will find many directories, each one named with a code that represents a variable.