2.1 Getting Started Serving Data

To get going with the OPeNDAP FreeForm ND Data Handler, follow these steps:

1. Obtain and install the OPeNDAP data server distribution and the OPeNDAP FreeForm ND Data Handler format handler distribution. (You can get these files from the OPeNDAP Home page.)
2. Install the OPeNDAP FreeForm ND Data Handler. (See the instructions in the INSTALL file accompanying the server.)
3. Examine the structure of the data file(s) you intend to serve, and construct a FreeForm ND format definition file that describes the layout of data in the files. (Refer to the Chapter 3 for instructions about sequence data and Chapter 4 for array data. Consult The OPeNDAP User Guide if you do not know the difference between the two data types.)
4. If you wish, you may include an output definition format within this file, to allow you to test that your input description is accurate. You can use the FreeForm ND utilities, such as newform, to validate the conversion. The Chapter 9 contains a detailed description of newform. This step is optional, since the OPeNDAP FreeForm ND Data Handler ignores the output definition section of the format definition file.
5. Although the OPeNDAP FreeForm ND Data Handler can generate default DDS and DAS files, you may want to write these files yourself, to override the default data descriptions, or to add attribute data. The default descriptions are based on the format of the data the the OPeNDAP FreeForm ND Data Handler receives from the FreeForm ND engine.
6. Place the data files, and a corresponding format file for each data file, in a place where the OPeNDAP FreeForm ND Data Handler can find them. This is generally in the server's document root, or in a subdirectory there. See The OPeNDAP User Guide for detailed instructions on installing a server if the document root is not a familiar concept.

Your data is now available to anyone who knows about your server. The next section contains examples of writing format descriptions.