JRM DAQ: XSYS and VMS

1
JRM DAQ XSYS and VMS

• Kevin Carnes
• April 19, 2000

2
Overview

• History of JRM DAQ
• Hardware description of VMEDAQ
• Timing issues
• Software description of VMEDAQ
• XSYS
• VMS
• Future upgrade possibilities

3
History of JRM DAQ

• MCAs
• DEC PDP15
• PDP11/34, Canberra SCORPIO, Kevent 1980
• DEC MicroVAXen, MBDs, XSYS 1988
• DEC VAXStations, VMEDAQ, XSYS 1997

4
VMEDAQ Hardware
Event Trigger(s)
ADC
CC
TRIG
CAMAC
Branch Highway
8 mm
SCSI
VME
CBD-8210
MVME-167
Local Taping
Serial Line
Ethernet
(Not currently
Network
implemented)
Bridge
Local Ethernet
8 mm
VAXSt
VAX or
Remote
SCSI
4000/96
Taping
UNIX
SCSI
Display
X-Window
Keyboard
5
Timing

• 29 µsec processor overhead per event
• 3 µsec per CAMAC command
• 2 µsec transfer time to VAX per word
• Example 12 parameters read from 2 Ortec ADCs
  (80 µsec conversion time)
• 29 12(32) 80169 µsec , or a maximum data
  rate of 5.9 kHz for a pulser

6
VMEDAQ Software

• Front-end 68040 processor uses UNIX-like RTOS
  called pSOS.
• Front-end code written in 68040 assembler and C.
• Experiment-specific parameters and logic are
  contained in C include files, user.h.
• A build ftps these files to a Sun UNIX machine
  where they are included in the VMEDAQ code,
  cross-compiled and linked and then ftped back to
  the VAX.

7
VMEDAQ Software, cont.

• When the front-end software is running, the user
  communicates with the front-end via an ethernet
  application called vrctl. All run control
  commands, such as begin, suspend, resume, and
  halt are issued here. The vrctl commands are
  case-sensitive!
• A restart cold in the vrctl window (or pressing
  the red Reset button on the MVME-167 front panel)
  downloads the cross-compiled executable code to
  the front-end. A restart warm restarts the code
  already in the front-end.
• Low-level communication with the front-end pROBE
  debugger is via a serial line using Kermit. In
  Kermit, start the code with gs (initialize) and
  go (execute).
• XSYS manual contains VMEDAQ Primer and Manual.

8
user.h include files

• These are all C include files, and are
  case-sensitive
• userconfig.hTitle, CAMAC LAM slots, scaler
  interval
• userinit.h executed once at init
• userbegin.h executed at beginning of run
• userend.h executed once at end of run

9
user.h include files, cont.

• userscalers.h scaler read commands, executed at
  scaler interval
• userevents.h executed at each LAM
• usersuspend.h executed at suspend command
• userresume.h executed at resume command

10
userconfig.h
udb.usrverstr_p "ltVersion 1gt" udb.usrtitstr_p
"lt2D PSD Ortec AD811 ADCgt" udb.maxevtsiz
0 / uses default if 0 / udb.btbmasks0
(1ltlt1) udb.lamcrmask (1ltlt1) / LAM
trigger crate mask (BD crates) / udb.lamslmask
(1ltlt16) (1ltlt20) / LAM trigger glr mask (BD
slots) (slot-1)/ udb.trigbranch
0 udb.trigcrate 0 udb.trigslot
0 udb.triglamn 0 / may be 0 if same as
trigslot / udb.trigmask 0 udb.st0tik 500
/Automatic scaler read interval in 10ms ticks
5005s/ udb.st1tik 0 udb.st2tik
0 udb.st3tik 0
11
userinit.h
/ C N A F Crate, Number
(slot), Address, Function / CNAFX (1, 18, 0,
30) / Enable Xilinx programming mode / do
CNAFX (1, 18, 0, 12) / Wait until Xilinx ready
(q1) / while (!QPRESENT(0)) /
B C N A F D Branch,.,Data / WRITEW
(0, 1, 18, 0, 22, 0) / Select Common Stop
Double Word / CNAFX (1, 18, 0, 25) / Begin
Xilinx programming / do CNAFX (1, 18, 0,
13) / Wait until Xilinx programming done (q1)
/ while (!QPRESENT(0)) CNAFX (1, 18, 0,
9) / Reset required after programming
/ WRITEW (0, 1, 18, 0, 17, 0x00FF) / Set
module ID to FF, rest default / WRITEW (0, 1,
18, 1, 17, 0x0000) / Default / WRITEW (0, 1,
18, 2, 17, 0x2000) / Full time scale of 32
microsec. / WRITEW (0, 1, 18, 3, 17,
0x0000) / Default no offset and no delay /
12
userbegin.h
/ Id userbegin.h,v 1.1 1995/09/28 194849 kdc
Exp kdc / / Log userbegin.h,v Revision
1.1 1995/09/28 194849 kdc Initial
revision / / DEC/CMS REPLACEMENT HISTORY,
Element USERBEGIN.H / / 1 23-SEP-1994
152557 YODER "DAQ User Begin run include code"
/ / DEC/CMS REPLACEMENT HISTORY, Element
USERBEGIN.H / / userbegin.h / /

/ / User initialization of modules at
beginning of run. / / This is called
before data flow is enabled. / / A
BiRa2206 is automatically initialized before this
code. / / To abort begin run, execute
"return -1" here. / /

/ CNAFX (1, 17, 12, 26) / set enable LAM for
AD811 ADC/
13
userevents.h
int eventid if(tlamregs (1ltlt16)) /If LAM
was from slot 17...Ortec AD811 ADC /
eventid 2 READW(0, 1, 17, 5, 2) / Read
clear AD811 / READW(0, 1, 17, 6, 2) /
Read clear AD811 / READW(0, 1, 17, 7, 2)
/ Read clear, reset AD811 / else if
(tlamregs (1ltlt20)) / If LAM in slot 21... DPR
Q count normalization / CNAFX(1, 30,
9, 26) / Set crate inhibit / CNAFX(1, 21,
0, 10) / Reset down counter / eventid
4 HALTRUN / Predefined macro simulates
halt / ev_p-gthdr.evtid eventid
14
XSYS

• VMEDAQ front-end packs data into buffer and sends
  over Ethernet to XSYS sorting program.
• XSYS is a collection of executable programs, not
  a single program, including disp for viewing
  spectra, evop for interacting with the online
  sorting program, tpe for offline sorting, and wrt
  for storing histograms.
• The XSYS manual contains an EVAL sorting
  language section and a section on individual XSYS
  commands, also found in online help.

15
XSYS files

• VMS DCL Command file, .com
• Creates data areas for spectra, gates, variables
• Creates xdata.sec and xscom.sec files on disk,
  which preserves information between sessions
• EVAL sorting program, .evl
• FORTRAN-like sorting language
• Single 32-bit accumulator
• Keep simple for online sorting, more complex for
  offline
• Use evop for online, tpevop (tpe) for offline
  sorting

16
hdgsd.com file
! HDGSD.COM DMEM ALL GLOBAL FILE AMEM NEW
6000 PAGES AMEM 1 TAC1 4096 AMEM
30 RX1 4096 AMEM 31 RX2
4096 AMEM 32 RY1 4096 AMEM 33
RY2 4096 AMEM 40 XY 256 256
AMEM 41 PROJX 256 TDG ALLOC 1 RXYgate
SPEC 40
17
hdgsd.com file, cont.
GATE NEW 64 1 5 30 5
SCAL NEW 2 SCAL HEAD 1 "projectile"
"recoil" SCAL BOX 1 1 2 SCAL CLEAR ALL
CLEAR FLAGS CLEAR ALL
18
hdgsd.evl
! HDGSD.EVL OPTION TAPE INTEGER HILIM4095
! Overflow limit (212) INTEGER CNT
REAL dChannel FORMAT ST1 1 12 1 !REAL DATA
IS 11 BITS. HERE 12TH BIT IS INCLUDED FOR FORMAT
SX1 2 12 1 ! OVERFLOW DETECTION FORMAT RATEp1 1
24 1 LONG FORMAT RATEr1 2 24 1 LONG ! Gate
TOF1G TAC1 1 !1-D gate name TOF1G associated with
gate 1 in spectra TAC1 ! EVENT BEGIN TAPE
19
hdgsd.evl, cont.
! EVENT 2 TAPE GET ST1 ! Get TAC1
signal SUB HILIM CHS STA TOF1 TINC TAC1
! Increment the time amplitude
spectrum ! EVENT 50 TAPE SCALERS 2
20
XSYS commands

• lmem all lists all memory areas and the total
  memory used.
• evop setup hdgsd compiles the .evl file and
  starts the sorting subprocess. Look for
  compilation errors in the information printed
  out. This also opens up a data connection via
  ethernet to the front- end.
• evop tape xdatdir causes event buffers to be
  written to a file on disk in the data directory,
  with name prognnnn.evt. A Waiting message can be
  removed by a flush in vrctl.
• evop exit exits the sorting program but does not
  close the connection to the front end. Two flush
  commands in vrctl will close the connection to
  avoid double connections on the next evop setup.

21
XSYS commands, cont.

• .evt files may later be resorted, offline, using
  the same or a more elaborate .evl file and tpe.
• status displays the event rate, total number of
  events, elapsed run time, scaler counts, etc.
  every 3 seconds.
• wrt stores some or all data areas, including
  spectra, in files on disk with names prognnnn.dat
  These may later be read back in with rd for
  display using disp.
• move 1 out run1.out pcgraph -- for transfer to
  PC.

22
VMS

• Our XSYS currently runs only on VAXen, and our
  VAXen use only VMS as an operating system.
• Extensive manuals available in main JRM computer
  room (gray snake), plus online help, plus
  bookreader on zeeman, balmer, lamb, and rydbrg
  (Session Manager ?Applications ?Bookreader?OpenVMS
  ).
• Volume 2A, Introduction to VMS, Guide to Using
  VMS, or, on Bookreader, Users Manual.

23
VMS Editor

• Invoke with ed for old VMS standby, edt.
• Invoke with edit for more powerful editor that
  still works like edt for the most part.
• In either editor, CTRL/Z changes to command mode
  At command or prompt, quit exits without
  saving, exit saves file and exits.
• In edt, must type c at the prompt to get back
  into full screen mode.

24
VMS Editor Keypad
DELETE Delete character LINEFEED
Delete to beginning of word BACKSPACE
Backup to beginning of line CTRL/A Compute
tab level CTRL/D Decrease tab level
CTRL/E Increase tab level CTRL/K
Define key CTRL/R Refresh
screen CTRL/T Adjust tabs CTRL/U
Delete to beginning of line CTRL/W Refresh
screen CTRL/Z Exit to line mode
FNDNXT FIND
DEL L UND L
HELP
GOLD
SECT FILL
APPEND REPLACE
DEL W UND W
PAGE COMMAND
BACKUP TOP
CUT PASTE
DEL C UND C
ADVANCE BOTTOM
WORD CHNGCASE
EOL DEL EOL
CHAR SPECINS
ENTER SUBS
LINE OPEN LINE
SELECT RESET
25
Useful VMS Commands

• set password
• mou/share data label
• show device/full data (Note 1 disk block 512
  bytes, so 2048 blocks 1 MB)
• dir/size/date datauser.evt
• set default -.nov99
• copy/since1-jan-2000 datauser.evt
  .sub1.
• search/exclude.exe data.evl tdgsd1
• type/page myevl.evl

26
Useful VMS Commands, cont.

• init tape mydata
• backup datauser. tapemyback.bck/labelmyd
  ata
• backup/image data tapemyback.bck/labelmydata
• backup/list tapemyback.bck/labelmydata
• backup tapemyback.bck/selectuser/labelmydata
  datauser
• print/queuehp4 xdisp.eps
• purge datauserxdisp.eps

27
The Future

• Need to overcome front-end bottlenecks, such as
  the 29 µsec interrupt overhead, slow ADC
  conversion, and the slow CAMAC cycle time (1
  µsec clock period).
• List Processors intelligent crate controllers
  executing CAMAC command lists directly, plus
  buffer memory
• LeCroy FERAbus ADCs and/or VME memory, fast
  conversion, buffering
• Computer obsolescence replace VAXen with LINUX
  or Solaris PCs using CERNs PAW as an analysis
  package.