Instructions for running the common Slow Control System (SCS)

Responsible for this page: Vladimir Rybnikov .

Click here to find the slow control experts for every component

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Contents


How to start the common SCS

  The common SCS should be run from  the SHIFT terminal (hb-cr21). 
The common SCS must be always running. It means that if it is down no DAQ runs with reasonable data can be taken and there should be special instructions in the short term plan concerning the situation with the common SCS. 
 

This chapter contains instructions how to set up all processes required for the common SCS with all the components  or part of them. In this documentation processes are printed bold. The code for buttons on graphical user interfaces is this. Names of states are printed such.

prcmanag is responsible to setup the processes which are common for the SCS. There should be always a main prcmanag running in  hbdaq0 ( at the moment the full RPM name for that process is /SYSTEM/SCS/prcmanag) .
This process is launched automatically when crcscui (SCS user interface) is started. While running the number of prcmanag should increase depending on the number of components included in the SCS.
Most of the processes run  on hbdaq4. The abnormal termination of one of them implies the shutdown of the system (see trouble shouting) . In this case a list of killing process message will appear in the error logger window.

The user interface is called crcscui and can be found in the usual online path.

If you are entitled to start the common SCS follow the following procedure:





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Steps to terminate SCS run processes: (KILL ALL PROCESSES) Top

How to Ready/Safe/Init the system

The HERA-B SCS control Panel (crcscui) is the top level control for the time being. It contains the following important buttons and menus:


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How to know that the common SCS  is there and ready

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NAME SERVER

This tool displays the process names running under the HERA-B DAQ environment.  (Be extremely careful when you use it, since you can disturb other  people work).




























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 How to check the state/status of the component /process

After the start-up of the slow control system a process state display window appears

It consists of four fields and several buttons. In the upper field (states/statuses filed) the states and statuses of all the slow control processes applying the state machine and included in the run are displayed. The field "Excluded processes"    contains the names of the processes that have been excluded from the run., i.e. their states don't influent on the state of the whole system ( see details in how to exclude/include a component/process from/to the common SCS for standalone tests) . The list of excluded processes can be updated by pressing the title-button "Excluded processes". The field "Started GUI" shows the names of the GUI processes that are registered in the slow control run domain (currently /RUN_slow/). This list can be updated by pressing the title-button "Started GUI" All other processes belonging in the slow control system can be seen in the field "All other processes".  The list can be updated by means of the title-button "All other processes".

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How to exclude/include  a component/process from/to the common SCS for standalone tests

If you would like to exclude a particular process from the system for some tests,  fulfill the following steps:
 
 
 
  • press the button "Exclude proc" to complete the operation. IMPORTANT !!!  the system  will change the state to STOP if all the processes of a component have been excluded. If you want to exclude all processes for a component you have to exclude the whole component .

  • If you would like to exclude a component  from the system for some tests,  fulfill the following steps:
     
     
     
  • the names of excluded processes appear in the the field "Excluded processes". If the whole componen has been excluded then the name of the branch for the corresponding  component will appear in the field.

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    Starting GUI

    Two buttons  "spc GUI" and  "smc GUI" should be used to start a graphical user interface (GUI) for a process .  The name of the button  "spc GUI" changes to " GUI " if a process from the field "All other processes" has been selected. To start a GUI use the following procedure:
     
     
      To control the started GUI use the field "Started GUI"

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    Terminating processes

    The button  "Terminate proc" should be used to kill a process or a GUI.  The name of the button  "Terminate proc" changes to "Terminate  GUI " if a process from the field "Started GUI" has been selected. To kill a process use the following procedure:
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    Alarm signals

    By default the system produces a number of alarm signals bound to the following events: To switch off/on  an alarm signal for a certain event You can find out which process invokes the alarm by means of the Process state display.

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    History display

    One can examine the behaviour of the slow control processes by pressing  the button  "History" in the display state window. A process is kept in the list if its state happened to be ERROR or the status not NORMAL. The history is being kept since the  crcscui start-up.


     

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    How to get online errors reported

    The error logger "erwin" is started by typing "erwin" at the command line. It displays a window which contains the last some error/warning print outs. In general an error entry looks like:
    17:28:58 [Error] evc - Flt-id hasn't changed after 3 retries
    1. The first field is the time the error occurred at
    2. The second field is the severity level
    3. Inform for run progress information
    4. Warning for signs of potential misbehavior which do not affect the data taking from a DAQ point of view
    5. Error running is seriously effected (data most likely useless)
    6. Fatal continue running is impossible
    7. next the process producing the error message is shown
    8. then a message string describing the cause of the message
    Further Documentation
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    Trouble shooting

    What to do if the state of the system is ERROR.

    What to do if the state of the system is STOP.

        In most cases it happens due to the loss of RPM messages coming from hb-vmexxx machines. What to do if you cannot kill the whole system by means of Process Control panel

        It can happen due to the loss of the control panel  or killing the system process manager /SYSTEM/SCS/prcmanag

    What to do if the Process Control panel is not updating

    It can happen due to the loss of the synchronization with main loop by Tcl/Tk shell.

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    EXPERT  INFORMATION.

    Where to find the subdetector specific processes:

    SUBDETECTOR NODES (PROCESSES) EXPERTS 
    DB
    hbda4(COMMON/DB_Monitor)
    Antonio Amorim (3683)
    TRD 
    hb-cr14(TRD/High_Voltage_Monitor),
    hb-cr14(TRD/gui_High_Voltage_Monitor)
             on call TRD expert
    ECAL 
    hb-vme47(ECAL/Crate_Control),
    hb-cr09(ECAL/gui_Crate_Control),
    hb-sun...(ECAL/Hardware_Monitor),
    hb-cr09(ECAL/gui_Hardware_Monitor)
             on call ECAL expert
    DAQ
    hbdaq5(DAQ/Network_Monitor),
    hb-cr21(DAQ/gui_Network_Monitor)
       Jose M. Hernandez (4853)
       Slow Control group 
    hb-vme54(COMMON/Central_Crate_Control),
    hb-cr21(gui_Central_Crate_Control)
                office: 4857
    FARM
    hbserv(FARM/Robot_Watch),
    hbserv(FARM/gui_Robot_Watch),
    hb-cr19(FARM/4LT_Monitor),
    hb-cr19(FARM/gui_4LT_Monitor)
             on call 4LT expert
     OTR hb-vme31(spc_ot_fed, 
    spc_ot_hv, 
    spc_ot_asd8), 
    hb-cr20(gui_ot_asd8, gui_ot_fed, gui_ot_hv) 
    hb-con05(hv db-server)
    on call OTR expert
    SVD hb-vme51(SVD/High_Voltage), 
    hb-vme51(SVD/Temp_Scan), 
    hb-cr11(SVD/Chip_Power),
    hb-cr20(gui_SVD_High_Voltage,
    gui_SVD_Temp_Scan, 
    gui_SVD/Chip_Power)
    on call VDS expert
    RICH hb-vme37(RICH/High_Voltage, 
    RICH/Low_Voltage),
    hb-cr26(RICH/gui_High_Voltage, 
    RICH/gui_Low_Voltage)
    on call RICH expert
    HIPT hb-vme37(HIPT/High_Voltage), 
    hb-cr02(HIPT/gui_High_Voltage),
    hb-con06(hv db-server)
    on call HIPT expert
    MUON hb-vme37(hv), 
    hb-vme32(fed), 
    hb-cr04(gui_mu_hv, gui_hv_fed), 
    hb-con06(hv db-server)
    on call MUON expert

     Where to find the rest of the processes:
     
     
     NODE  FUNCTION
    hbdaq0  main prcmanager
    hbdaq4  all other processes (run_watch, namservers, local prcmanagers, branches, error logger, error window)


    What to do if I don't understand the instructions on this page

    If you feel it could adversely affect the quality of the data being taken, contact the on-call expert. In any case, send an e-mail to the responsible for this page with your suggestions for improvements.

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