NLCTA Tasks

Background and Current Status

There will be one "slow" IOC, with Allen Bradley support and perhaps GPIB support later. There will be one "fast" IOC, processing analog and digital data at 120 Hz, providing ring buffers and doing mini-MPS decision making for Klystron processing. Currently the slow IOC is planned as an MV177-based VME, and the fast as a PPC MVME2700.

Some NON-requirements:

  1. The Allen Bradley is MONITOR only; NO control.
  2. DAC control of power not necessary at 120 Hz, although nice if possible.
Some assumptions:
  1. NLCTA will supply a (Solaris) host machine with lots of disk storage. This host provide support for data storage, operator interface tools, and NLCTA Epics development.
Things already done as of mid November, 2000:
  1. Initial web pages
  2. AFS area readied and directory structure in place
  3. Barebones AB IOC software done and moved to production
  4. AB IOC booted and CA checkout done
  5. Terminal server installed
  6. Test closet setup and VME scanner working
  7. 3.13.2 upgrade
  8. Fast ADC ordered

Outstanding Questions

There are several aspects where more research is needed:
  1. Hardware decisions for:
  2. Checkout hardware plus signal(s) at 120 Hz to examine IOC load.
  3. Evolve specifications for 120Hz acquisition/ring buffer/file output.
  4. Evolve specifications for control loop; based on current Labview and maybe Veetest stuff.
  5. Consider using the alarm handler instead of the PEPII RF alarming methods.
  6. Consider the channel archiver and/or DESY archive record.
  7. Understand the role of Matlab; if necessary consider Channel Access interface.

Task Breakdown

Looking at these items, we arrived at the following task breakdown.
  1. Do the 120Hz demo using externally triggered ADCs.
  2. This will eventually be the PPC, but we can test now with the MV177, after the ADC hardware arrives. So at least one of the 5 ADCs needs to come quickly. This implies that the driver needs to be looked at so that the order can be made. We will probably need waveform support in the driver to achieve the response required with 35 or so signals.
    LUCHINI/SAA/RON (One person month total)
  3. Get the PPC (in hand as of 1/3) ready: bsp, Epics build, VxWorks build, etc.
  4. Get a list of the A/B signals, limits, crate monitoring:
  5. SAA/??? (Four person weeks)
  6. Explore the control algorithm - in progress 1/3
  7. Look at the existing Labview and plan from Kieth. Look at the DAC output requirements and digital I/O. Come up with a flexible scheme to drive the SNL program. Expand the databases and displays. This may also involve calibration tools to run on the fast IOC on user demand.
    RON/JINGCHEN (One person month)
  8. Explore the host tools and interfaces.
  9. ALH/Channel Archiver/Matlab(licenses??)/CMLOG/File Management
    SAA/LEEANN/RONM/JINGCHEN (One person month)
  10. VxWorks licensing - Done 1/3.

  11. LUCHINI/CLARK/RON (One person week)

Timeline