void uptime(UInt_t minutes=120, Bool_t alarm=kFALSE, Bool_t accum=kFALSE) {
  Bool_t done;
  ofstream outfile, outfile2, outfile3, outfile4;
  UInt_t reg;
  TDatime date;
  Int_t time, hour, min, startDate, startBin;
  Int_t startY, startM, startD, stopY, stopM, stopD, days;

  TStopwatch timer,globalTimer;

  outfile.open("uptime.log");
  outfile2.open("all_uptime.log",ios::app);
  outfile3.open("all_accum.log",ios::app);
  outfile4.open("all_accum.times",ios::app);
  outfile2 << "starting new session..." << endl;

  date = new TDatime;
  date.Set();
  if (accum) {
    startDate = date.GetDate();
    startD = startDate % 100;
    startDate /= 100;
    startM = startDate % 100;
    startY = startDate / 100;
    time = date.GetTime();
    time /= 100;
    min = time % 100;
    hour = (time - min) / 100;
    outfile4 <<  startM << " " << startD << " " << hour << "  ";
  }

  globalTimer.Start(kTRUE);
  while(globalTimer.RealTime() < 60*minutes) {
    globalTimer.Continue();
    done = kFALSE;
    timer.Start(kTRUE);
    wrcntrl(defControl,0);
    while (!done) {
      gSystem -> Sleep(1000);
      reg = readcr(0);
      cout << "reg =" << (void*) reg << endl;
      if ((reg != (defControl | 0x80000000)) && reg != 0) {
        timer.Stop();
	date.Set();
        cout << "Reset after " << timer.RealTime() << " sec" << endl;
       	if (alarm) cout << (char)7 << endl;
        outfile << timer.RealTime() << endl;
	outfile2 << timer.RealTime() << "\t" << date.AsString() << endl;
	if (accum)
          outfile3 << timer.RealTime() << "\t" << date.AsString() << endl;
	time = date.GetTime();
	time /= 100;
	min = time % 100;
	hour = (time - min) / 100;
        done = kTRUE;
      }
    }
  }
  if (accum) {
    date.Set();
    startDate = date.GetDate();
    startD = startDate % 100;
    startDate /= 100;
    startM = startDate % 100;
    startY = startDate / 100;
    time = date.GetTime();
    time /= 100;
    min = time % 100;
    hour = (time - min) / 100;
    outfile4 <<  startM << " " << startD << " " << hour << endl;
  }
  delete date;
}

void plotUptime() {
  gROOT -> Reset();
  FILE *fp = fopen("uptime.log","r");
  Float_t x;
  Int_t n,nRead;
  TH1F *h1=new TH1F("h1","uptime distribution",100,0,200);

  while (1) {
    nRead = fscanf(fp,"%f",&x);
    if (nRead < 0) break;
    cout << x << endl;
    h1 -> Fill(x);
  }
  fclose(fp);
  h1 -> Draw("e1p");
}

StsDumpCallback  call(cout,StsDumpCallback::synch);
StsDumpCallback* callbackP = &call;

UInt_t readcr(int chip=0, int read=rLeft) {
  UInt_t ret;
  StsGeoAddress gAddr;

  cout << endl << "entered readcr okay" << endl;
  cout << "defRom = " << defRom << endl;
  gAddr.ROM     (defRom);
  cout << "defChannel = " << defChannel << endl;
  gAddr.Channel (defChannel);
  cout << "chip = " << chip << endl;
  gAddr.Chip    (chip);
  cout << "read = " << read << endl;
  gAddr.ReadDir (read);

  cout << "creating read cmd" << endl;
  StsCommand* cmdP = new StsChipCommand(gAddr, StsChipCommand::kReadRegisters, NULL, callbackP);

  cmdP -> CanDelete(kFALSE);
  call.SetWait(cmdP);
  cout << "read cmd prepared" << endl;
  cmdP -> Send();
  call.Wait(cmdP);
  cout << "sent..." << endl;
  //while (cmdP->GetReply()==NULL)
  //gSystem -> Sleep(1);

  if (!cmdP -> GetReply() -> InheritsFrom(StsChipReply::Class())) {
    cout << "received a messed up reply" << endl;
    delete cmdP;
    cout << "deleted" << endl;
    return 0x80000000;
  }

  cout << "rec'd a reply" << endl;
  StsChipReply* repP = cmdP->GetReply();
  cout << "repP = " << (void*) repP << endl;
  if (!repP) return 0x80000000;
  StsChipData*  dataP = repP -> GetData();
  cout << "dataP = " << (void*) dataP << endl;
  if (!dataP) return 0x80000000;
  StsChipDataElemReadRegs* rdP =
    (StsChipDataElemReadRegs*) dataP -> First();
  cout << "rdP = " << (void*) rdP << endl;
  if (!rdP) return 0x80000000;
  cout << "fcr = " << (void*) (rdP->fControlRegister) << endl;
  ret = rdP -> fControlRegister;

  cout << "cmdP = " << (void*)cmdP << endl;
  delete cmdP;

  cout << "returning..." << endl;
  return ret;
}

void readmr(int chip=0, int read=rLeft, StsAtomMask *calMask,
	    StsAtomMask *chaMask) {
  UInt_t ret;
  StsGeoAddress gAddr;

  calMask -> SetAllBits(0);
  chaMask -> SetAllBits(0);

  gAddr.ROM     (defRom);
  gAddr.Channel (defChannel);
  gAddr.Chip    (chip);
  gAddr.ReadDir (read);

  StsCommand* cmdP = new StsChipCommand(gAddr, StsChipCommand::kReadRegisters, NULL, callbackP);

  cmdP -> CanDelete(kFALSE);
  cmdP -> Send();
  while (cmdP->GetReply()==NULL)
    gSystem -> Sleep(1);

  cout << "rec'd a reply" << endl;
  StsChipReply* repP = cmdP->GetReply();
  if (!repP) return;
  StsChipData*  dataP = repP -> GetData();
  if (!dataP) return;
  StsChipDataElemReadRegs* rdP =
    (StsChipDataElemReadRegs*) dataP -> First();
  if (!rdP) return;

  rdP -> GetCalMask(*calMask);
  rdP -> GetChaMask(*chaMask);

  delete cmdP;
}