[Go-essp-tech] Request to record checksums for all CMIP5 files served by ESG

[Karl Taylor]

Dear all,

This message if for those responsible for CMIP5 data.

We are attempting to replicate at PCMDI and other major data archives a 
considerable fraction of the model output you have made available to 
CMIP5 scientists.  To assure only genuine replicas are served, we want 
to verify that the checksums are the same at all sites.  I am therefore 
writing to request with some urgency that you publish checksums.  For 
datasets that you have already published, you can add the checksum 
following the instructions found at:

http://www2-pcmdi.llnl.gov/Members/bdrach/.personal/esg-publication-scripts#publishing-checksums-and-other

Note that you should make sure you have the latest version of the 
publisher.  (We had to add new capability to the publisher for this 
purpose.)  You will have already created mapfiles before, so it should 
not be difficult to simply add the checksum information you need.

By the way, if you plan to newly publish additional datasets, there is 
an option to create the checksums during the initial publication of the 
data, but that will, of course, slow down the publication script 
substantially.  If you elect to publish new datasets initially without 
checksums, please add checksums within a few days.

Not only will the checksums help us in replicating data (which will 
provide better access to the users), certain heavy users of CMIP5 data 
have been urging us to provide this information for some time now.  We 
thank you for your hard work in improving CMIP5 data services.

On another matter, a reminder: If you in any way modify a netCDF file 
that has been published to ESG, please make sure that the "tracking_id" 
(one of the netCDF global attributes) in the file is also modified 
before it is republished.

thanks and best regards,
Karl
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