ACP Observatory Lock Object
Only one user (local or web) may use the observatory facilities at a time. This user must hold the Lock for the duration of their use of the observatory. When a script is run via the local ACP user interface, the observatory is locked on behalf of the local user for the duration of that script. It is released when the script completes. The enhanced Active Server Pages in ACP's web interface lock the observatory for requesting user whenever they access a page that requires observatory resources (acquiring images or running scripts). The lock is not released unless (a) the user specifically releases it through the web interface, or (b) a configurable idle time has elapsed during which the owner has not made any web page accesses.