Cluster reconstruction (Nrecon/NreconServer) Software: Licensing/bug report

SkyScan, February 2005, Aartselaar, Belgium.
Last updated:  November 2005 

SkyScan's cluster reconstruction software, for reconstruction of datasets 
from all SkyScan MicroCT scanners, offers possibility to do reconstruction 
on multiple PCs to accelerate processing. The software can be also run on 
one PC. Although certain hardware configuration (fast network switches, RAID HDD,
etc.)  can improve the performance, it is not required. For details about optimal 
computer/network configuration, please contact SkyScan or your local SkyScan 
distributor. The software is optimised for Intel processors. For computers 
with other processors, the performance might be significantly worse. 

The cluster reconstruction software is supplied as one zip-file, which includes 
4 files: NRecon.exe, NReconServer.exe, NRecon.chm, NReconServer.hlp. 
Unzip this file into any folder on your hard disk. To install it: 

Step 1:  Choose a computer as host computer for the user interface program  
(client program) Nrecon. On this host computer you need to copy Nrecon.exe and 
Nrecon.chm to a directory of your choice. If you have bought a license, copy the 
license file NRecon.lic to this directory as well. 

Step 2:  choose one or several computers as reconstructor or server, on which the 
reconstruction process will be done. The host computer can be used as a server 
computer as well.  In case of multiple servers, it is recommended to use computers 
with similar power (memory, CPU speed and disk access speed) for an optimised 
performance. Copy NReconServer.exe and NReconServer.hlp to a directory of your choice. 
No license is needed for NReconServer. 

Step 3:  Start NReconServer on the server computers and the NRecon on the host computer.
You will be required to configure your system. ( For the first installation,it is 
recommended that you first start NRecon.chm by double-clicking on it, so that you 
have detailed installation guide, trouble shooting and user manual at hand. ) 

Detailed information about installation, trouble shooting and user manual can be 
found in Nrecon.chm, which can be started seperately by double-clicking or from 
within NRecon (Help->help topics, or the arrow+? button).

The supplied software package can be used in the following modes:

1. Demo mode: 
   Not supplied any more for multiple-PC after version 1.3. You may download the local
   version of NRecon: it is free and available to all SkyScan users; it has full functionality as 
   the cluster version except that only one server (on the same PC) can be used.
2. Evaluation mode: 
   Require a free evaluation license. Full functionality. Valid for a month.  
3. License mode with full functionality.
   Require full license.

To buy a full license or require a free evaluation license, please contact your 
local SkyScan distributor or SkyScan for details. 


To help us improving our software, please report suggestions/problems/bugs to us:
xuan.liu@skyscan.be, and/or sasov@skyscan.be.  The following guidelines can be followed
(of course you may add any more information which might help us): 
       Both NRecon and NReconServer have an error recording system. NRecon_error.log 
       locates at the system directory defined in your preferences (menu Options->Preferences).
       Only errors occurred during batch process are recorded.  NReconServer_error.log 
       locates at where NReconServer.exe is. To track error easily, each piece of recorded 
       information is labelled with time. Both log files can grow up to 1MB: once this 
       limit is exceeded, they will be copied to a backup file (*_errorLast.log) and the 
       cycle starts again. 

       In case of errors, please check both error log files to see if they can be any help. 
       If not, please e-mail the NRecon_error.log and all NReconServer_error.log (in case of 
       multiple copies, please add the name of the server to the file name), together with a 
       short description of your observation.

       In case of incompatibility with Cone_Rec,  please report with the following: 
	1.  Scanner type. 
	2.  The text file accompanying each scan (*_par.txt, *_cfg.txt or *.log). 
	3.  Details about incompatibility. 
	4.  In case of different image quality, one reconstructed slice from NRecon
	 and one identical slice from Cone_Rec (same dataset, same slice, compatible
	 parameters) and the paramters used for reconstruction. 
	5.  One shadow image.