Python Language Installations at STScI

Python language installations at STScI are maintained by CISD. The line

PACKAGE: PYTHON

MUST be uncommented in the user's ~/.envrc file for Python to be avaliable. Currently several versions of Python and external python modules in python/site-packages are installed on the Solaris 8 science cluster. In addition SSG maintains python installations in /usr/stsci.
System installations:
  • Python-1.5.2
    • Numeric 15.2
  • Python-2.0
    • Numeric 16.1.1
    • PyOpenGL 1.6.0
  • Python-2.1.1
    • Numeric 19.0.0
    • PyOpenGL 1.5.6b1
  • Python-2.2
    • Numeric 19.0.0
    • PyOpenGL 1.5.6b1
 SSG installations:
  • Python-2.1.1
    • Numeric 19.0.0
    • PyOpenGL 1.5.6b1
  • Python-2.2
    • Numeric 19.0.0
    • PyOpenGL 1.5.6b1

Python Development Within SSG

SSG develops PyRAF, PyFITS and NumArray. These packages are maintained for Python versions 2.0 and later. The development is on the RA cluster. Be aware that changes there may occur without notice or testing: The tree structure under /usr/ra/pyssg is copied to /usr/stsci/pyssg after testing within the group and is made available to the Institute. The /usr/stsci/pyssg/lib directory is used for distribution of python modules. It is always on the PYTHONPATH and is accessible from all python versions.
Development tree
  • /usr/ra/pyssg
    • lib/pyfits v0.6.2
  • 2.0
    • numarray 0.3
    • pyraf v1.0betac1
  • 2.1
    • numarray 0.3
    • pyraf v1.0betac1
  • 2.2
    • numarray 0.3
    • pyraf v1.0betac1
 Solaris 8 science cluster tree
  • /usr/stsci/pyssg
    • lib/pyfits v0.6.2
  • 2.0
    • numarray v0.3
    • pyraf v1.0betac1
  • 2.1
    • numarray v0.3
    • pyraf v1.0betac1
  • 2.2
    • numarray v0.3
    • pyraf v1.0betac1

How To Access/Switch Between Trees/Versions

To have access to Python, the "PYTHON" package should be activated in the ~/.envrc file. In the examples below "#" should be substituted with the version number of python.

Third Party Python Modules

Third party Python modules are installed and maintained by SSG in /usr/stsci/pyssg/lib. If the "stpythonenv" mechanism is used they are alsways on the PYTHONPATH and accessible. All these packages only work with Numeric but eventually will be converted to work with NumArray.
Scientific Python v2.2 In this collection you will find modules that cover basic geometry (vectors, tensors, transformations, vector and tensor fields), quaternions, automatic derivatives, (linear) interpolation, polynomials, elementary statistics, nonlinear least-squares fits, unit calculations, Fortran-compatible text formatting, 3D visualization via VRML, and two Tk widgets for simple line plots and 3D wireframe models. For details consult the
Stats package A collection of statistical functions (stats.py v0.6), input/output routines for flat space/tab delimited text files and "flat" binary files (io.py v0.3), list manipulation functions based on the |Stat programs (pystat.py v0.4).
DISLIN v7.6 DISLIN is a high-level plotting library for displaying data as curves, bar graphs, pie charts, 3D-color plots, surfaces, contours and maps.
PySLALIB v0.4 A Python interface to the SLALIB, the STARlink Astronomical Position Library

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Copyright © 1997 The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nadia Dencheva, dencheva@stsci.edu
March 20, 2002