Cumulus.ini (preserving history)

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History of this page

From release 3.10.1, the way that settings are changed, and the settings available have changed so much, that information previously on this page was misleading.

Anybody using an earlier MX release (3.0.0 to 3.9.7) should now go to this page

Anybody using the legacy software (e.g. 1.9.4) should now go to this page

The past history for both those two new pages remains available via the history tab on this page.

Content of this page

This page has been emptied ready for new content to reflect how MX works from 3.10.1 onwards.

The biggest change in 3.10.1 was to revise where settings are changed, and how the web pages used to change settings can vary what they show based on an earlier selection on that page. A related change is that all settings are made via the Admin interface. (In earlier releases, "read-only" settings were made directly in the "Cumulus.ini" file, while "read-write" settings were made either in the file or via the interface).

Settings are now arranged according to the menu selections, as that is the way you change them.

Consequently, the revised tables have to explain which section settings are in the file.

The Cumulus.ini file

Cumulus.ini is a text file containing initialization parameters used by the Cumulus MX software application.

When Cumulus MX is run for very first time, the file does not exist, as it is not included in the release distribution.

When MX is restarted, it reads the Cumulus.ini that now exists. The settings it finds tell it what options you have selected and which sections of the MX code apply for your selections of weather station type (input) and for your selections of what processing it should do, and where you want it to send weather data to (output).

The file is a simple text file. It is divided into sections with section names in square brackets (e.g. [Station]). These sections can appear in any order, by default new sections are appended after all previous sections.

Within each section, there are parameters. Each parameter is in format Attribute=Value, and appears on a line to itself. The parameters, within a section, can be in any order, by default new parameters are appended at end of the relevant section.

If a new release of MX adds new parameters, then they will be automatically added to Cumulus.ini when you access that setting.

Some parameters have a default value, and you need to find the appropriate setting to change that value. However, others have an initial illegal value, and you are forced to give these parameter a valid setting before MX will allow you to save settings (and these "missing" values will stop MX doing any weather data processing).

The settings pages in admin interface

Please see MX_Administrative_Interface#Changing_Settings for basic information, including how to load the admin interface.

Program settings

Accessibility

Section	Parameter Line Entry	Label on Settings page	Default	Description
[Program]	EnableAccessibility=0	Enable accessibility features	0 (disable)	Determines styling of settings pages: Set to 1 to make this (and other pages) appear in a button selection style (more friendly on an accessibility basis). Leave it at zero for a Click ▶to expand, click ▼ to collapse styling.

Program Start-up Options

Section	Parameter Line Entry	Label on Settings page	Default	Description
[Program]	StartupPingHost=	Host to PING on program start-up	None (disable)	Add a hostname or IP to address to ping at startup. Cumulus waits until the ping is successful before trying to read from your station. Leave blank to disable
[Program]	StartupPingEscapeTime=999	PING escape time (mins)	999 (minutes)	Specify a time after which if no ping response is received carry on starting Cumulus MX anyway
[Program]	StartupDelaySecs=0	Start-up Delay (secs)	zero (disable)	Add a delay before the Cumulus tries to start reading the station.
[Program]	StartupDelayMaxUptime=300	Max system uptime to apply the start-up delay	300 (seconds)	The time that has passed sice MX was started (up-time) is compared against the (max delay time) figure here. If max delay time less than up-time, the delay specified in previous parameter will NOT be applied If up-time less than this max delay time, then MX will apply any delay specified in previous parameter If this parameter is set to zero, then MX will always apply any delay specified in previous parameter

Station Settings

Accessibility

Section	Parameter Line Entry	Label on Settings page	Default	Description
[Program]	EnableAccessibility=0	Enable accessibility features	0 (disable)	Determines styling of settings pages: Set to 1 to make this (and other pages) appear in a button selection style (more friendly on an accessibility basis). Leave it at zero for a Click ▶to expand, click ▼ to collapse styling.

Station specific alternatives

Davis VP/VP2/Vue

This document is 'Work In Progress' so content may not be complete.

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Parameter Line Entry	Label on Settings page	Default	Description
[Station]			Section name - the following parameters relate to the station configuration.
VP2SleepInterval=500		500 (milli-seconds)	the period which Cumulus waits between reads of the data from Davis stations, the value is in milliseconds. if you suspect that data is being missed, reduce number For VirtualVP users, tests revealed that VP2SleepInterval = 1100 seems to work the best. It updates every two seconds with few exceptions.
VPClosedownTime=x		(default not yet documented)	x is the number of seconds after the start of the re-connect attempts that you want the program to close itself
DavisCalcAltPress=1		1	Davis stations calculate Sea Level Pressure (SLP) from Station Pressure (SP) using a formula based on temperature, humidity, and altitude CWOP require 'Altimeter Pressure' (AP) to be uploaded, i.e. a value calculated simply using altitude. 0 = Use SLP supplied by Davis 1 = Convert the SP Davis supplies to AP using the altitude you have supplied.
SyncDavisClock=0		0	When set, at Cumulus start-up and at a fixed time (default 04:00, see next parameter) each day, Cumulus will set the Davis VP/VP2 clock to within a minute of the same time as the PC. (From build 3015 for MX). 0 = Disabled, default (as deselected on the Station Configuration Screen) 1 = Enabled, ensures that when Cumulus asks the station for data since time X, both recognise X!
ClockSettingHour=4		4	Controls what hour of the day the SyncDavisClock activity will take place if it is enabled. 4 = 04:00 (default value) 0-23 = 00:00 to 23:00
VP2ConnectionType=1			Weather station connection type 0 = serial (see next parameter to specify COM port) (1 = usb - setting no longer available on screen, remains as default in cumulus.ini for those not using a Davis) 2 = TCP/IP (see later parameters to specify ports) Default is type 1, i.e. neither option on screen selected, so if you use a Davis you must select either serial or TCP/IP.
VP2TCPPort=22222		2222	Communications port used if VP type has TCP/IP selected.
VP2IPAddr=0.0.0.0	Weather station IP address if VP type has TCP/IP selected. Default is 0.0.0.0
VP2PeriodicDisconnectInterval=0		0 (disable)	When the clock minute changes, Cumulus stops the current stream of data from the console, disconnects, waits for the specified number of milliseconds, to allow the Weatherlink IP to briefly connect to the Davis Weatherlink site. Cumulus then attempts to reconnect. Set it to zero to disable, if you are not using the Weatherlink site.
LogExtraSensors=0		0	This is set in the Settings block on the Station settings screen off the configuration menu. Set this to 1 if you have additional sensors (e.g. a Davis Leaf Wetness probe) to make Cumulus read, display, and log the readings from the sensors. You don't select this for Solar/UV sensors.
UseDavisLoop2=1		1 (use Loop2)	The current MX code uses LOOP2 for two purposes. First, it uses the 'peak 10-minute gust' value, to avoid the problem where a gust might be missed, and secondly it uses the 'absolute pressure' value to make calculation of 'altimeter pressure' easier and more accurate. This is mainly used if you upload to CWOP. 1 (default) = Cumulus MX will use the LOOP2 packet for Davis Weather Stations by default. The LOOP2 packet is supported on the VP2 with firmware version 1.90 or later, and on the Vue. 0 = Select this if you have a Vantage Pro (i.e. the original 'VP1'), or a VP2 with pre-1.90 firmware, or if you are using Virtual VP, none of these support the LOOP2 packet. Without this setting, Cumulus will revert to calculating the 10-minute gust value itself from the individual wind speed readings, but it will not currently attempt to calculate altimeter pressure correctly, it will simply use the sea-level pressure instead. This is likely to be an issue if you are at high altitude and you upload to CWOP using Cumulus MX.
DavisIPResponseTime=500		500	The length of time in milliseconds which Cumulus waits to allow a response from the console to a command (i.e. a request for any kind of data) from an IP logger, see Cumulus MX forum where times up to 2000ms are suggested.
ForceVPBarUpdate=0		0 (normal)	Added in build 3042 (January 2017). The default (value=0) is to assume standard barometer updates on Davis stations. Set to 1, by adding ForceVPBarUpdate=1 in [Station] section to force more frequent barometer updates on Davis stations. Steve says "Having checked the code, I see it asks for 20 packets from the 'LOOP2' if the barometer forcing is on, otherwise it stops receiving LOOP data after 50 packets". Note that ForceVPBarUpdate=1 is only useful on very old versions of the console firmware.
DavisIncrementPressureDP=0		1	(from version 3.0.0 build 3042) 0= Pressure values shown to 1 decimal places when reported in mb/hPa, shown to 2 decimal places for inHg 1= Pressure values shown to 2 decimal places when reported in mb/hPa, shown to 3 decimal places for inHg
VPrainGaugeType=0		1	Specifies the units selected on your Vantage Pro Rain Gauge. 0 = Metric Rain Adapter fitted, a 0.2mm gauge 1 = Imperial gauge without adapter, a 0.01" gauge. Note that if the units you choose for rainfall do not match your rain gauge type, conversion rounding errors will then occur.
DataLogging=0		0	(Build 3018 onwards). 0 (default) = Cumulus MX will not add extra logging. 1 = To add extra logging to the diags file for data received from Davis stations. Use this with care, the log will get very large. I've also added some more diagnostics to try to find the cause of the problem where data stops being read from Davis stations. Debug logging is required to be turned on. (Build 3022 onwards).
AutoUpdateIpAddress=1		1	default = 1, set to 0 to switch off the WLL autodetection of IP address. This is a workaround for a WLL firmware bug that does not update the IP address when it changes using DHCP.
ZeroConfig		(default not known)	set this on station settings screen; to enable/disable the entry/update of the stations IP address via auto-discovery

WM918/WMR928 Settings

Oregon Scientific specific

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Please be aware that information on this page may be incorrect.

Parameter Line Entry	Label on Settings page	Default	Description
[Station]	Section name - the following parameters relate to the station configuration.
Humidity98Fix=0	Applies to weather station types that never report more than 98% relative humidity. 0 = Disabled (default) 1 = Enabled, humidity displayed and recorded as 100% if your sensor registers a relative humidity of 98% or greater. Normally only useful for Oregon Scientific stations.
LogExtraSensors=0	This setting determines whether MX looks for readings from extra temperature probes etc. 0=Disabled (default) 1= Enabled - Used for Oregon Scientific WMR-928 and similar stations if you have additional sensors (e.g. another temperature probe) to make Cumulus read, display, and log the readings from those sensors. You don't use this for Solar/UV sensors. (Note this attribute appears in Davis family and Fine Offset family tables above and in Instromet station specific: table below with different usage explanations).
Read-only parameters - how to set depends on your MX release.
WMR928TempChannel=N	for WMR-928 stations (and other serial stations using the same protocol, eg WMR-968) to use an 'extra' channel (see previous parameter) as your main temperature sensor, set N to the required channel
WMR200TempChannel=N	for WMR200 stations (and any other Oregon Scientific USB stations which work with Cumulus, e.g. WMR100) to use an 'extra' channel as your main temperature sensor, set N to the required channel

Instromet Settings

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Please be aware that information on this page may be incorrect.

Parameter Line Entry	Label on Settings page	Default	Description
[Station]	Section name - the following parameters relate to the station configuration.
ImetWaitTime=200	This parameter (attribute=value) if you need to change it from its default of 200 ms is added directly to the file, it does not appear on a configuration screen. Specifies the time in milliseconds that Cumulus allows for a response from an Instromet station. If you are having problems with reading from an Instromet station, try inserting this line into the Station section using a value of 500. According to the specification, 500 ms is the absolute maximum time that the station should take to respond to any command.
ImetBaudRate=19200	The default value is 19200. Some ?older? Instromet loggers operate at 115200, if you have one of these older loggers you will need to reset this value
SyncDavisClock=0	Note despite the name of the parameter within 'Cumulus.ini', this does apply to Instromet stations. When set, at Cumulus start-up and at 04:00 each day, Cumulus will set the Instromet clock to within a minute of the same time as the PC 0 = Disabled, default as deselected on the Station Configuration Screen 1 = Enabled, ensures that when Cumulus asks the station for data since time X, both recognise X as representing same time!
LogExtraSensors=0	If you have 'extra sensors' selected, the wet bulb reading will be used as an extra temperature sensor. Otherwise it is used as 'wet bulb' and the humidity will be calculated from that and the dry bulb sensor. 0=Disabled (default). For a wet bulb sensor, Cumulus will output the humidity, not the temperature shown by the wet bulb. 1= Enabled - Used for optional Sunshine hours or extra temperature sensors on Instromet stations. For a wet bulb sensor, Cumulus will output the temperature it shows, but not calculate the humidity.

Davis WeatherLink Live

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Please be aware that information on this page may be incorrect.

Ecowittt GW1000 Settings

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Ecowitt GW1000 and Froggit DP1500 (and any equivalents) specific

Parameter Line Entry	Label on Settings page	Default	Description

Parameter Line Entry	Label on Settings page	Default	Description
IPAddress=	There is no default value, stores the IP address of your GW1000 WiFi logger, set via the station settings page.

Solar

Parameter Line Entry	Function
[Solar]	Section Name - the following parameters are set as described above
SunThreshold=75	If you have a solar sensor: Cumulus tries to determine whether the sun is shining by determining whether the current solar radiation value is above a certain percentage of the current theoretical maximum. The value you supply here is used as that percentage. The default value is 75%.
RStransfactor=0.8	Cumulus uses the Ryan-Stolzenbach formula to determine the current theoretical maximum solar radiation at your location at the current moment in time. This formula has a factor to allow for the transmission of the radiation through the atmosphere; the default is 0.80.
SolarMinimum=0	This setting allows you to specify a minimum solar radiation value which needs to be reached before it can be considered to be sunny. Note that this setting does not replace the calculation using the current theoretical maximum, it specifies an additional condition which has to be met. This setting therefore allows you to cater for the periods at the beginning and end of the day when the theoretical maximum is very low.
LuxToWM2=0.0079	this parameter applies if you have a Fine Offset station with a solar detector. These supply 'Lux' values rather than 'W/m2' values that Davis stations supply. Cumulus attempts to convert from Lux to W/m2 using the supplied multiplication factor. You can add this parameter if you want to use a value other than the default of 0.0079, which is the generally accepted standard conversion factor for sunlight.
UseBlakeLarsen=0	Called B/l on screen. Set this to 1 if you have a Blake-Larsen Sun Recorder, and you want Cumulus to get today's sunshine hours from it. You need to configure the Blake-Larsen software to put the SRsunshine.dat file into the correct folder i.e. the program root folder in MX (i.e. same folder as where "Cumulus.ini" is stored).
SolarCalc=1	The value is set in the MX user interface when the solar calculation method is set. 0 (default) = Ryan-Stolzenbach calculation, which uses the RStransfactor entry to tune the output. 1 = Bras calculation, which uses the BrasTurbidity entry below to tune the output.
BrasTurbidity=2.0	The value is set in the MX user interface when the solar calculation method is set. 2.0 (default) = Perfect clear sky decimal value = The normal range is 2 (Clear sky) to 5 (Smoggy)

Internet Settings

MQTT

MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) is a machine-to-machine (M2M), also known as "Internet of Things", connectivity protocol.

This section was introduced by release 3.5.0 (build 3071)

Parameter Line Entry	Function	Where to Edit
[MQTT]	Cumulus.ini Section Name	Settings Section Name
Server=	Note there is no default. This text box is to enter your server name or the IPv4 or IPv6 address to find your server	MQTT section
Username=	This is optional.This text box is to enter the username if one is needed for updating your server	MQTT section
Password=	This is optional. This text box is to enter any password needed for that username	MQTT section
Port=1883	Note default. To edit which port is used to connect to your server	MQTT section
UseTLS=0	Transport Layer Security (TLS), and its now-deprecated predecessor, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), are cryptographic protocols designed to provide communications security over a computer network. This tick box on settings screen indicates whether TLS support is required, default is not (0), set to 1 if modern security protocol is being used	MQTT section tick box
IPversion=0	Mandatory - This parameter must be added to this Cumulus.ini section, it cannot be edited on a screen. 0=default, 4=IPv4, 6=IPv6	In file only
EnableDataUpdate=0	This provides an easy way to stop/start the updating without losing other settings. Default is unticked as most people do not use this functionality.	tick box in Send message on data update section
UpdateTopic=CumulusMX/DataUpdate	This feature in the Send message on data update section is where you specify the name to give to the update message	Send message on data update section
UpdateTemplate=DataUpdateTemplate.txt	In the CumulusMX/mqtt folder there is a default template with a file name specified by the default value of this parameter. In that default file {"time":"<#timehhmmss>","windspeed":<#wlatest rc=y>,"winddir":<#bearing>} will send wind readings in case for example you want to close something when it is windy. If you create your own file, you can put its name here.	Send message on data update section
EnableInterval=0	This tick box provides an easy way to stop/start this type of updating without losing other settings. Default is unticked as most people do not use this functionality.	tick box in Send message at fixed intervals section
IntervalTime=600	This text box is where you enter the time between messages in seconds, the default is 600 meaning every ten minutes.	Send message at fixed intervals section
IntervalTopic=CumulusMX/Interval	This text box is where you specify the name to give to the fixed interval update message	Send message at fixed intervals section
IntervalTemplate=IntervalTemplate.txt	In the CumulusMX/mqtt folder there is a default template with a file name specified by the default value of this parameter. In that default file {"time":"<#timehhmmss>","temp":<#temp rc=y>,"humidity":<#hum>} will send temperature and humidity readings in case for example you want to open something when it feels uncomfortable. If you create your own file, you can put its name here.	Send message at fixed intervals section

Proxies

Cumulus 1.9.4 beta build 1061 introduces these. Currently, search the forum using the term 'proxies' for more details. They will be described here when 1.9.4 becomes a full release, currently they are being tested.

HTTPProxyName=

HTTPProxyPort=

HTTPProxyUser=

HTTPProxyPassword=