Obtaining IRAF

You can retrieve a copy of IRAF via the Internet by anonymous ftp. It can be downloaded from either the original NOAO site in Tucson or from a mirror (that is, an identical copy) maintained by Starlink at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. The latter is quicker and more convenient for sites in the UK. The Starlink mirror is updated from the NOAO original every night and hence can be no more than twenty-four hours out of date. The access details are as follows.

NOAO, Tucson

 
URL: http://iraf.noao.edu/

Anonymous ftp

site:	ftp.noao.edu
directory:	/iraf

Retrieve file README for further details.

Starlink mirror

 
URL: http://www.starlink.rl.ac.uk/iraf/

Anonymous ftp

site:	ftp.starlink.rl.ac.uk
directory:	/pub/mirrors/iraf

Retrieve file README for further details.

There are additional mirrors in Germany and Japan. Installing IRAF is a non-trivial process and will almost certainly require the assistance of your site manager. Some hints on obtaining and installing IRAF are given in Appendix . Postscript versions (suitable for printing) of all the IRAF manuals mentioned in this document can also be retrieved from the NOAO IRAF site and the Starlink mirror. In practice you are more likely to use the IRAF sites to obtain documents than a complete installation.

If you are not familiar with the ftp utility then ask a colleague or your site manager for assistance. Alternatively, the books by Krol[10] and Thomas[15] include good descriptions.