Astronomy, Linux and the Problem of Large File Support

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

Abstract

A review is presented of the current status of support for large FITS files (those greater than 2~GB) and 64-bit PC architecture in Linux software applications that are commonly used for astronomical data processing. We present solutions for the support of large FITS files on 32-bit Linux systems, together with a report on the status of 64-bit support in the Starlink and Python libraries that are used to process FITS files on Linux PCs. Our conclusion is that 64-bit astronomical software for Linux is now sufficiently mature that data centers can now confidently migrate to 64-bit PCs to overcome various technical limitations of 32-bit PCs.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)551
JournalAstronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series
Volume376
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2007

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