OWG Meeting 9-Nov-2011

Agenda

• Announcements
  • do we need more EE support?
• Review of minutes from 26-Oct-2011 meeting
• Installation of FDC cosmic ray test electronics - Beni, Elliott
  • crates
  • TI/TD
  • SD
  • cpu's
• Conditions database - Dmitry, Mark, Elliott
  • skip separate logbook-like tables?
  • treat EPICS data as "calibrations" and make entries into CCDB?
• 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 - Yi, Elliott
• Electronics, trigger and DAQ status reports - Chris, Alex, Dave, Fernando, Ben, Ed, William, Bryan
• Mantis Task Tracker
  • Open issues
  • Resolved issues
• PyIrmis - Hovanes, Elliott

Time/Location

1:30 PM Wed 9-Nov-2011 CC F326

Next Meeting

1:30 PM Wed 23-Nov-2011 CC F326

Minutes

Present: Elliott W, Simon T, Vardan G, Bryan M, Yi Q, Beni Z, Hovanes E, Mark I, David L, Dmitry R.

FDC Cosmic Ray Test Setup

Electronic equipment being collected now, goal to have most of it there when Beni gets back from sailing. May not get all the equipment for a while as some is being used right now, but should be no problem later in the year. Should have at least two of everything by next week.

Conditions Database

Much discussion on what should go in, how it should be accessed, etc. Mark and Dmitry convinced Elliott to try putting just about everything into the conditions db, no need for additional tables. Some people questioned speed of access when everything is stored this way. Elliott proposed in general to not duplicate data contained in the EPICS archiver database, with a few obvious exceptions that surely will needed by the offline (e.g. solenoid set current at run start). Instead, he proposed that programs run at JLab will query the EPICS database and make entries in the calibration database based on the EPICS values. These could be the raw values, averages over time intervals, or values calculated from combinations of raw values. By using the calibration database there could be multiple entries, each extracted from the raw EPICS values in different ways.

Another concern was whether the conditions database might grow too large with lots of online data in it, and whether two conditions databases were needed, one for data required by the offline, a second for just online use.

Another suggestion was to store everything in an auxiliary file, associated with the run, that the offline would need to process the run.

Dmitry noted that requirements were not clearly defined. Elliott said he'd put something together, then pass it around for comment.

DAQ Group Activities

• CODA3 alpha version due out soon after Thanksgiving. Release mechanism should make it clear which version you are getting, with clear distinctions between versions. There is some advantage to using SVN as the release mechanism in the very early stages, but perhaps not when CODA3 matures.
• Vardan completed the farm control supervisor and is working on the top-level experiment control system. He is looking into whether the CSS gui builder can be used with AFECS.
• Carl's top priority is still to get CODA3 out.
• Bryan reports planning is done, he'll have a prototype readout list for the FDC cosmic ray test. Currently can handle all readout boards available to him.
• No report on simulated raw events.

EPICS Evaluation

Hovanes reported he is looking at two archivers, one from SNS (RDB/Beauty) and another from JLab (MyA). Much discussion on the relative advantages of each: local expertise, ease of deployment, ease of use, integration with CSS, performance, etc. This effort is ongoing.

Controls

• Elliott reported on some progress on the many tasks identified by the solenoid controls redesign effort. More EE support would be useful. Do we need to design a new quench detector? Not clear when Floyd will get to simulating the coil inductances.
• Hovanes reported he created an OSP for the controls test stand. Beni did the same for the FDC test setup. Josh will soon test the SOE and other modules in the test setup.
• Nerses is working on EPICS readout of the JLab discriminator. Initial prototype will not include all desired features due to time constraints.

Midas Elog

Sherman installed the elog on halldweb1. Authentication uses CUE account and password. Yi configured a number of elogs, and even created one on-the-fly in the meeting for Beni. The number of elogs grows day-by-day. This system looks very good, and should be appropriate for most of our logbook/notebook needs.

The major exception is the operator elog, which will have a large number of entries. The Midas elog uses flat-files instead of a database, so searches bog down when the number of entries is large. Elliott reported seeing almost 37,000 entries in the CLAS elog, Yi reported seeing slowdowns with a Midas elog containing only a thousand entries or so.

Much discussion on choice of operator log, mostly a rehash of previous discussions, which were rehashes of previous discussions, which were rehashes of ...

Mantis Task Tracker

Elliott entered a number of new online tasks, including some related to moving into the counting house and hall. A few existing tasks were reported to be completed. We should begin using this interactively, not just as a list of tasks to be completed.