[EAS] CAP Test (test vs. exercise in CAP)

[Ed Czarnecki]

Dave - Actually, if IPAWS was to send an RWT with a CAP status of "test" or
"exercise", a DASDEC could process that CAP message into EAS ... if the test
mode options are selected. i.e. select ("Test Mode: Process Test CAP
messages as Actual" or "Test Mode: Process Exercise CAP messages as
Actual").   If we receive CAP messages that are not Actual in strict IPAWS
mode, then we store and log the messages, but do not process them as EAS.

So, I'm not really changing my prior position.  I'm just noting what the CAP
to EAS translation guidance is, and how we provide an option to augment that
in Test Mode.  For example, I could readily see the case for selecting one
of the Test Modes in the case of a national or regional government exercise
(like TOPOFF or the NLE or a disaster drill) - where CAP messages tagged as
"Exercise" for the exercise might be used carefully in a live environment in
some systems, but not all.

I don't have info at this time why your particular unit did not show any
RWTs from Monday - could you send me your config and log files?  Could be
any number of issues.  Could be net connectivity along the line between your
station firewall and the IPAWS server.   Could be an inadvertent settings
change in the DASDEC, though it doesn't sound like you changed anything that
would have an impact.  No major sunspot activity on Monday :^)

Please check your logs to see if you recently polled an RWT.  The IPAWS
server apparently just posted RWTs (thoug we had gotten info that the IPAWS
server was taken off line from Monday COB through tomorrow.  

Our DASDEC in Utah just recently polled an IPAWS RWT for western states,
including Utah.  Decoded as: "A CIVIL AUTHORITY HAS ISSUED A REQUIRED WEEKLY
TEST FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES/AREAS: Arizona; Colorado; Idaho; Montana;
New Mexico; Utah; Wyoming; AT 1:05 PM ON DEC 14, 2011 EFFECTIVE UNTIL 2:05
PM. MESSAGE FROM IPAWSDMO. Test Message IPAWS OPEN CAP EAS Feed
Configuration Test Message."	

Another RWT was also polled as well "A CIVIL AUTHORITY HAS ISSUED A REQUIRED
WEEKLY TEST FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS: Alabama; Arkansas; Iowa; Illinois;
Kansas; Louisiana; Minnesota; Missouri; Mississippi; North Dakota; Nebraska;
Oklahoma; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Wisconsin; AT 2:05 PM ON DEC 14,
2011 EFFECTIVE UNTIL 3:05 PM. MESSAGE FROM IPAWSCAP. Test Message IPAWS OPEN
CAP EAS Feed Configuration Test Message"

Looks like IPAWS is testing their origination from two different consoles at
FEMA (IPAWSCAP and IPAWSDMO).

BTW, I do not see in anyone's logs that FEMA changed the status element of
the RWTS, or any other change.  I do see that a western regional RWT did not
have the Idaho FIPS code, as posted earlier.

-----Original Message-----
From: eas-bounces at radiolists.net [mailto:eas-bounces at radiolists.net] On
Behalf Of Dave Turnmire

Ed,
Many thanks for the detailed info regarding the CAP "status" element. If I'm
understanding you correctly, it sounds like you may have revised your view a
bit from your Dec 5 posting where you suggested that FEMA might want to
consider using "test" or "exercise" for some of their RWTs.  Now you seem to
indicate that would be unwise since the RWTs wouldn't be logged by some or
all EAS decoders (including the DASDEC if configured as you suggest).  Do I
have that correct? 

Also, I'm still curious why my DASDEC's "ops log" showed the "blocked" (due
to my FIPS filtering) RWTs last week... but don't show ANY this week when
others have reported that RWTs went out.  Can you tell from your logs (or
perhaps Al can comment) whether FEMA changed the "status" of their RWTs this
week?  SHOULDthe DASDEC ops log show CAP alerts regardless of FIPS codes and
the status element (as distinct to the Decoder log which seems to observe
the FIPS filter)?

Sorry to be a pest on this... just trying to get a good understanding of how
this works since as a member of our SECC and LECC, I tend to get questions
from EAS participants here.  Nice to know the answers...

Thanks

Dave

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