OWG Meeting 7-Dec-2011

Agenda

• Announcements
• Review of minutes from 9-Nov-2011 meeting
• Networking equipment - Hovanes, Elliott
• Progress on 12GeV planning lines - David, Elliott
  • Conditions database - David, Elliott
  • event display
  • front-end software
  • unblocking
  • next?
• Installation of FDC cosmic ray test electronics - Beni, Elliott
• DAQ group activities
  • CODA3 alpha release - Graham, Dave A
  • top-level ECS and gui - Vardan
  • simulated raw event file - Dave A
  • event disentangler - Carl
  • automated readout list - Bryan
• EPICS evaluation - Hovanes
  • archiver
  • alarm system
  • backup/restore
• Controls
  • Solenoid Controls Redesign - Elliott
    • quench detector and inductance balance
  • Test stand update - Hovanes
  • Discriminator readout by EPICS - Nerses
  • SOE module evaluation - Elliott
  • 435NBX RS232 module evaluation - Elliott
• Midas Elog - Elliott
  • Maintenance/modification elog
  • Manual database
  • Procedures database
• Electronics, trigger and DAQ status reports - Chris, Alex, Dave, Fernando, Ben, Ed, William, Bryan
• Mantis Task Tracker
• PyIrmis - still waiting to hear from main developer...

Time/Location

1:30 PM Wed 7-Dec-2011 CC F326

Next Meeting

Not sure due to holidays and vacation schedules

Minutes

Present: Elliott W, Simon T, Bryan M, Hovanes E, David L, Vardan G, Dmitry R, Beni Z, Alex S.

Networking Equipment

Most of our large Cisco order has arrived, meaning we have lots of nice switches available. To start we'll install two in EEL 126 (one for FDC, one for controls) and one or two in the counting house and hall when they become available. Note that all these switches eventually will be moved to the hall.

12GeV Project lines

• Dave and Elliott created DocDB # 1870 on plans for the Conditions Database. Hovanes suggested we add a brief section on manpower requirements compared to what's in the schedule, which we will do. This will complete the planning stage for the conditions database.
• Dave and Elliott are working on a similar doc for the Java-based online event display. Dmitry noted that Eve might be a better framework, but there is no one to work on this (CNU students have worked on the Java version). Hovanes noted there is an advantage to using the CNU framework since the author (Dave Heddle) is local.
• Dave is working on the front-end software line in consultation with Alex.
• Elliott is working on the event blocking document. Hovanes noted that we might consider performing the event unblocking in the front-end ROC's now that we likely will have four-core processors, and at least two of them will mostly be idle. This of course needs to be carefully evaluated. The default is to perform the event unblocking in an event builder stage.
• Prior to the meeting Elton suggested we need to identify an outside reviewer for each document, where "outside" means not one of the authors.

FDC Test

Beni and Elliott have begun setting this up. Alex will borrow some modules for a short time for higher-priority testing. Hovanes agreed to propose a mechanism for us to get boards from the DAQ and Electronics groups in an organized and prioritized fashion to replace the current free-for-all approach.

DAQ Group Activities

• A CODA3 alpha release is expected in early Jan. Most components are already available and just have to be packaged together.
• Vardan has done some work on unifying ECS and run control using CSS gui's.
• No report on simulated raw event files.
• Carl is busy getting out the event builder, no new work on event disentangling.
• Bryan's automated readout list will be used in the FDC test.

EPICS Evaluation

Hovanes continues to evaluate archivers. We will meet with Arne in Jan to learn Accelerator's plans for layering the CSS/Databrowser GUI on top of their MyA archive engine. This looks very promising for us.

Controls

• Elliott reported on continuing progress on the solenoid controls redesign, esp. concerning the Danfysik quench detector. After connecting with its designer it seems clear it will work for us with appropriate modifications. Much depends on the result of the Georges official fault analysis (FMEA).
• Hovanes and Josh continue to use the controls test stand to evaluate hardware. Josh verified that the SOE modules work as advertised and soon will test the NBX RS232 module. Hovanes noted that some RS232 devices should be interfaced to EPICS rather than directly to the PLC. Elliott suggested this should be decided on a case-by-case basis.
• Nerses continues to work on EPICS drivers for the JLab discriminator module. Hall B prefers a VxWorks driver which Nerses will not work on. Next on his list are developing an EPICS directory structure for Hall D, then working on HV/LV control.

Elog

Elliott reported on a newly created elogs for the controls group:

• manuals
• maintenance log
• procedures

He suggested storing all online procedures in the latter elog. This generated a lot of discussion on the relative merits of using a elog vs the Wiki to store procedures and How-To's. There were passionate proponents of each, but most agreed one could reference the other. Elliott noted that the techs prefer the elog since they need an index into the OCE and DocuShare engineering systems, where many procedures are stored.

Graham is convening a small group to look into operator elogs for the four halls. At the first meeting last week he collected requirements. Consensus was to plan for 100,000 entries, which may rule out the Midas Elog due to the lack of an underlying RDB.

FCAL Test

Alex reported on the status of the ongoing FCAL test:

• Working well, taking data.
• CODA2 got stuck at highest rates, fixes needed for TI boards.
• Multiple readout modes have been checked.
• Ran to 6 kHz accepted triggers.
• Rates seem to be limited by GBit network link.
• JANA interface to data files working.
• ROOTSpy soon to be used.