private boolean createPartitionedIndex(Formatter f) throws IOException {
    long start = System.currentTimeMillis();

    // create partitions based on TimePartitionCollections object
    for (CollectionManager dcm : tpc.makePartitions()) {
      tp.addPartition(dcm);
    }

    List<TimePartition.Partition> bad = new ArrayList<TimePartition.Partition>();
    for (TimePartition.Partition dc : tp.getPartitions()) {
      try {
        dc.makeGribCollection(f); // ensure collection has been read successfully
        if (trace) f.format(" Open partition %s%n", dc.getDcm().getCollectionName());
      } catch (Throwable t) {
        logger.error(" Failed to open partition " + dc.getName(), t);
        f.format(" FAIL on partition %s (remove) %n", dc.getDcm().getCollectionName());
        bad.add(dc); // LOOK may be a file leak ?
      }
    }

    // remove ones that failed
    for (TimePartition.Partition p : bad) tp.removePartition(p);

    // choose the "canonical" partition, aka prototype
    int n = tp.getPartitions().size();
    if (n == 0) {
      logger.error(" Nothing in this partition = " + tp.getName());
      f.format(" FAIL Partition empty collection = %s%n", tp.getName());
      return false;
    }
    int idx = tpc.getProtoIndex(n);
    TimePartition.Partition canon = tp.getPartitions().get(idx);
    f.format(" Using canonical partition %s%n", canon.getDcm().getCollectionName());

    // check consistency across vert and ens coords
    if (!checkPartitions(canon, f)) {
      logger.error(
          " Partition check failed, index not written on {} message = {}",
          tp.getName(),
          f.toString());
      f.format(" FAIL Partition check collection = %s%n", tp.getName());
      return false;
    }

    // make the time coordinates, place results into canon
    createPartitionedTimeCoordinates(canon, f);

    // ready to write the index file
    writeIndex(canon, f);

    // close open gc's
    tp.cleanup();

    long took = System.currentTimeMillis() - start;
    f.format(" CreatePartitionedIndex took %d msecs%n", took);
    return true;
  }
  /*
  MAGIC_START
  version
  sizeRecords
  VariableRecords (sizeRecords bytes)
  sizeIndex
  GribCollectionIndex (sizeIndex bytes)
  */
  private boolean writeIndex(TimePartition.Partition canon, Formatter f) throws IOException {
    File file = tp.getIndexFile();
    if (file.exists()) {
      if (!file.delete()) logger.error("Cant delete " + file.getPath());
    }

    RandomAccessFile raf = new RandomAccessFile(file.getPath(), "rw");
    raf.order(RandomAccessFile.BIG_ENDIAN);
    try {
      //// header message
      raf.write(MAGIC_START.getBytes("UTF-8"));
      raf.writeInt(version);
      raf.writeLong(0); // no record section

      GribCollectionProto.GribCollectionIndex.Builder indexBuilder =
          GribCollectionProto.GribCollectionIndex.newBuilder();
      indexBuilder.setName(tp.getName());

      GribCollection canonGc = canon.makeGribCollection(f);
      for (GribCollection.GroupHcs g : canonGc.getGroups())
        indexBuilder.addGroups(writeGroupProto(g));

      indexBuilder.setCenter(canonGc.getCenter());
      indexBuilder.setSubcenter(canonGc.getSubcenter());
      indexBuilder.setMaster(canonGc.getMaster());
      indexBuilder.setLocal(canonGc.getLocal());

      for (TimePartition.Partition p : tp.getPartitions()) {
        indexBuilder.addPartitions(writePartitionProto(p.getName(), (TimePartition.Partition) p));
      }

      GribCollectionProto.GribCollectionIndex index = indexBuilder.build();
      byte[] b = index.toByteArray();
      NcStream.writeVInt(raf, b.length); // message size
      raf.write(b); // message  - all in one gulp
      f.format("GribCollectionTimePartitionedIndex= %d bytes%n", b.length);

    } finally {
      f.format("file size =  %d bytes%n", raf.length());
      raf.close();
    }

    return true;
  }
  private boolean createPartitionedTimeCoordinates(TimePartition.Partition canon, Formatter f)
      throws IOException {
    List<TimePartition.Partition> partitions = tp.getPartitions();
    boolean ok = true;

    // for each group in canonical Partition
    for (GribCollection.GroupHcs firstGroup : canon.makeGribCollection(f).getGroups()) {
      String gname = firstGroup.getId();
      if (trace) f.format(" Check Group %s%n", gname);

      // get list of corresponding groups from all the time partition, so we dont have to keep
      // looking it up
      List<PartGroup> pgList = new ArrayList<PartGroup>(partitions.size());
      for (TimePartition.Partition dc : partitions) {
        GribCollection.GroupHcs gg = dc.makeGribCollection(f).findGroupById(gname);
        if (gg == null) logger.error(" Cant find group {} in partition {}", gname, dc.getName());
        else pgList.add(new PartGroup(gg, dc));
      }

      // unique time coordinate unions
      List<TimeCoordUnion> unionList = new ArrayList<TimeCoordUnion>();

      // for each variable in canonical Partition
      for (GribCollection.VariableIndex viCanon : firstGroup.varIndex) {
        if (trace) f.format(" Check variable %s%n", viCanon);
        TimeCoord tcCanon = viCanon.getTimeCoord();

        List<TimeCoord> tcPartitions = new ArrayList<TimeCoord>(pgList.size());

        // for each partition, get the time index
        for (PartGroup pg : pgList) {
          // get corresponding variable
          GribCollection.VariableIndex vi2 = pg.group.findVariableByHash(viCanon.cdmHash);
          if (vi2 == null) { // apparently not in the file
            f.format(
                "   WARN Cant find variable %s in partition %s / %s%n",
                viCanon, pg.tpp.getName(), pg.group.getId());
            tcPartitions.add(null);
          } else {
            if (vi2.timeIdx < 0 || vi2.timeIdx >= pg.group.timeCoords.size()) {
              logger.error(" timeIdx out of range var= {} on partition {}", vi2, pg.tpp.getName());
              tcPartitions.add(null);
            } else {
              TimeCoord tc2 = vi2.getTimeCoord();
              if (tc2.isInterval() != tcCanon.isInterval()) {
                logger.error(
                    " timeIdx wrong interval type var= {} on partition {}", vi2, pg.tpp.getName());
                tcPartitions.add(null);
              } else {
                tcPartitions.add(tc2);
              }
            }
          }
        }

        // union of time coordinates
        TimeCoordUnion union = new TimeCoordUnion(tcCanon.getCode(), tcPartitions, tcCanon);

        // store result in the first group
        viCanon.partTimeCoordIdx =
            TimeCoordUnion.findUnique(unionList, union); // this merges identical TimeCoordUnion
      }

      /* turn TimeIndex into TimeCoord
      for (int tidx = 0; tidx <unionList.size(); tidx++) {
        TimeCoordUnion union = unionList.get(tidx);
        f.format(" %s %d: timeIndexList=", firstGroup.hcs.getName(), tidx);
        for (int idx : union.) f.format("%d,",idx);
        f.format("%n");
      } */

      // store results in first group
      firstGroup.timeCoordPartitions = unionList;
    }

    return ok;
  }
  private void createIndex(
      File indexFile, List<Group> groups, ArrayList<String> filenames, Formatter f)
      throws IOException {
    Grib2Record first = null; // take global metadata from here

    if (indexFile.exists()) indexFile.delete(); // replace it
    f.format(" createIndex for %s%n", indexFile.getPath());

    RandomAccessFile raf = new RandomAccessFile(indexFile.getPath(), "rw");
    raf.order(RandomAccessFile.BIG_ENDIAN);
    try {
      //// header message
      raf.write(MAGIC_START.getBytes("UTF-8"));
      raf.writeInt(version);
      long lenPos = raf.getFilePointer();
      raf.writeLong(0); // save space to write the length of the record section
      long countBytes = 0;
      int countRecords = 0;
      for (Group g : groups) {
        g.fileSet = new HashSet<Integer>();
        for (Grib2Rectilyser.VariableBag vb : g.rect.getGribvars()) {
          if (first == null) first = vb.first;
          GribCollectionProto.VariableRecords vr = writeRecordsProto(vb, g.fileSet);
          byte[] b = vr.toByteArray();
          vb.pos = raf.getFilePointer();
          vb.length = b.length;
          raf.write(b);
          countBytes += b.length;
          countRecords += vb.recordMap.length;
        }
      }
      long bytesPerRecord = countBytes / ((countRecords == 0) ? 1 : countRecords);
      f.format(
          "  write RecordMaps: bytes = %d record = %d bytesPerRecord=%d%n",
          countBytes, countRecords, bytesPerRecord);

      if (first == null) {
        logger.error("GribCollection {}: has no files\n{}", gc.getName(), f.toString());
        throw new IllegalArgumentException("GribCollection " + gc.getName() + " has no files");
      }

      long pos = raf.getFilePointer();
      raf.seek(lenPos);
      raf.writeLong(countBytes);
      raf.seek(pos); // back to the output.

      GribCollectionProto.GribCollectionIndex.Builder indexBuilder =
          GribCollectionProto.GribCollectionIndex.newBuilder();
      indexBuilder.setName(gc.getName());

      for (String fn : filenames) indexBuilder.addFiles(fn);

      for (Group g : groups) indexBuilder.addGroups(writeGroupProto(g));

      /* int count = 0;
      for (DatasetCollectionManager dcm : collections) {
        indexBuilder.addParams(makeParamProto(new Parameter("spec" + count, dcm.())));
        count++;
      } */

      // what about just storing first ??
      Grib2SectionIdentification ids = first.getId();
      indexBuilder.setCenter(ids.getCenter_id());
      indexBuilder.setSubcenter(ids.getSubcenter_id());
      indexBuilder.setMaster(ids.getMaster_table_version());
      indexBuilder.setLocal(ids.getLocal_table_version());

      Grib2Pds pds = first.getPDS();
      indexBuilder.setGenProcessType(pds.getGenProcessType());
      indexBuilder.setGenProcessId(pds.getGenProcessId());
      indexBuilder.setBackProcessId(pds.getBackProcessId());

      GribCollectionProto.GribCollectionIndex index = indexBuilder.build();
      byte[] b = index.toByteArray();
      NcStream.writeVInt(raf, b.length); // message size
      raf.write(b); // message  - all in one gulp
      f.format("  write GribCollectionIndex= %d bytes%n", b.length);

    } finally {
      f.format("  file size =  %d bytes%n", raf.length());
      raf.close();
      if (raf != null) raf.close();
    }
  }
  public boolean readIndex(RandomAccessFile raf) {
    gc.setRaf(raf); // LOOK leaving the raf open in the GribCollection
    try {
      raf.order(RandomAccessFile.BIG_ENDIAN);
      raf.seek(0);

      //// header message
      if (!NcStream.readAndTest(raf, MAGIC_START.getBytes())) {
        logger.error("GribCollection {}: invalid index", gc.getName());
        return false;
      }

      int v = raf.readInt();
      if (v != getVersion()) {
        logger.warn(
            "GribCollection {}: index found version={}, want version= {} on file {}",
            new Object[] {gc.getName(), v, version, raf.getLocation()});
        return false;
      }

      long skip = raf.readLong();
      raf.skipBytes(skip);

      int size = NcStream.readVInt(raf);
      if ((size < 0) || (size > 100 * 1000 * 1000)) {
        logger.warn("GribCollection {}: invalid index ", gc.getName());
        return false;
      }

      byte[] m = new byte[size];
      raf.readFully(m);

      GribCollectionProto.GribCollectionIndex proto =
          GribCollectionProto.GribCollectionIndex.parseFrom(m);

      gc.center = proto.getCenter();
      gc.subcenter = proto.getSubcenter();
      gc.master = proto.getMaster();
      gc.local = proto.getLocal();
      gc.genProcessType = proto.getGenProcessType();
      gc.genProcessId = proto.getGenProcessId();
      gc.backProcessId = proto.getBackProcessId();
      gc.local = proto.getLocal();
      // gc.tables = Grib2Tables.factory(gc.center, gc.subcenter, gc.master, gc.local);

      gc.filenames = new ArrayList<String>(proto.getFilesCount());
      for (int i = 0; i < proto.getFilesCount(); i++) gc.filenames.add(proto.getFiles(i));

      // error condition on a GribCollection Index
      if ((proto.getFilesCount() == 0) && !(this instanceof TimePartitionBuilder)) {
        logger.warn("GribCollection {}: has no files, force recreate ", gc.getName());
        return false;
      }

      gc.groups = new ArrayList<GribCollection.GroupHcs>(proto.getGroupsCount());
      for (int i = 0; i < proto.getGroupsCount(); i++)
        gc.groups.add(readGroup(proto.getGroups(i), gc.makeGroup()));
      Collections.sort(gc.groups);

      gc.params = new ArrayList<Parameter>(proto.getParamsCount());
      for (int i = 0; i < proto.getParamsCount(); i++) gc.params.add(readParam(proto.getParams(i)));

      if (!readPartitions(proto)) {
        logger.warn("TimePartition {}: has no partitions, force recreate ", gc.getName());
        return false;
      }

      return true;

    } catch (Throwable t) {
      logger.error("Error reading index " + raf.getLocation(), t);
      return false;
    }
  }