[Dart-users] updates to the rma_trunk version of dart

[Nancy Collins]

hello all,

we have been working for the last couple years on a major
redesign/refactoring of the DART code.  the current working
code name is the "RMA" version - because it uses Remote
Memory Access calls to communicate values between MPI tasks -
and it uses much less memory per task because of this.
it also reads and writes netcdf files directly for its initial condition
and restart files so no conversion between model format and
'dart restart format' files is needed.   the release is expected sometime
before the end of this year, and the name will certainly change. (DART 2.0?)

we have several groups using an alpha version of this code, testing
and giving us feedback.  we anticipate making more non-backwards
compatible changes - to namelists, to default filenames, to what module
code is located in.  these changes will probably accelerate as we try to
prepare for the release.

if you are using code which was checked out of our subversion repository
from the subversion repository from the "branches/rma_trunk" directory,
please watch this mailing list.  if you know of people who have this code
but aren't on this list please let me know and i'll add them.  as we commit
changes -- in particular non-backwards compatible changes -- we will send
out notes to this list.

(if you aren't sure what version of the code you have, please run 'svn info'
in any of the dart source directories and look closely at the 'URL' line.
if the string 'DAReS/DART/branches/rma_trunk' appears there, you're
running the rma_trunk code.)

thanks in advance for your feedback on the new version, and please email
dart at ucar.edu if you have problems or questions as we update the code.

(if you want to be removed from this list, email me, nancy at ucar.edu,
and i'll remove you.  or if your email address has changed and you want
me to update it, i can do that as well.)

thanks,
nancy