RD Controls Software Release Note 157.8
AutoTune
John DeVoy
February 4, 1999
AutoTune
is an X Window application
that displays a set of SWIC profiles relevant to a particular beam line,
and allows the operator to adjust the beam position by directly
manipulating the profiles on the screen.
When the profiles have been adjusted to the operator's satisfaction,
pressing
the
``Do Tune''
button will cause
AutoTune
to determine which magnet settings need to be changed,
and then to make the settings.
The SWIC profiles are updated every T6 + 8 seconds,
so the effects of the changed settings should be shortly visible.
The program is divided into two parts:
A
server
part and a
client
part.
The server part is a detached process that runs on some node in the DISNEY VAX cluster.
The server is responsible for doing all data acquisition and settings.
It communicates with the client part via the network.
There is one server process dedicated to each beamline.
The client part provides the
(Motif based)
user interface.
When it is started,
the client connects to the desired server
(see section 1, below).
The server monitors the beam position,
and sends the data to the client for display.
The user may use the client to move the beam
(as described above);
the request is fowarded to the server,
which makes the settings,
and reports the results back to the client for display.
Note that the server is written in such a way that
any tune request from an account
other than OPS
will be rejected.
To run
AutoTune,
select
``AutoTune Proton'',
``AutoTune Neutrino'',
or
``AutoTune KTev''from the second page of the
general user
menu.
Similar items are available on the OPS menu.
An AutoTune client will be started
that will connect to the indicated server.
If the user running the client is the OPS account,
then the user may use the client to control the beam.
Otherwise the user may only monitor the beam's position.
Alternatively,
the AutoTune client may be started in such a way as to bypass the server.
In this mode,
the client does not connect to a server,
but does all of the necessary data acquisition and settings by itself.
This is called standalone mode.
Standalone mode is intended for beamline physicists to use when testing new control files.
The ability to do tunes in this mode is dependent on one's PIG privileges.
To start the client in standalone mode,
type
``@epicure_programs:autotune''
with the following parameters:
-
The name of the control file to connect to.
The
extension
``.CTL''
should be specified.
-
The name of the directory containing the control and binary files.
The program will look for the
control file specified above in this directory.
If this parameter is omitted,
then the program uses
a search list containing
the following defaults:
DISNEY::USR$DISK1:[OPS.NMTUNE]
DISNEY::USR$DISK1:[OPS.NTUNE]
DISNEY::USR$DISK1:[OPS.PTUNE]
DISNEY::USR$DISK1:[OPS.MTUNE]
For example,
the following command will load the
``PROTON_TEST''
control file from Gaston's MTUNE directory on RDIV:
@epicure_programs:autotune proton_test.ctl rfd$disk1:[gutierrez.mtune]
To exit
AutoTune,
select
``Exit''
from the
``File''
pull-down menu.
When the AutoTune client starts,
it automatically connects to the appropriate server
(depending on which item you selected from the menu).
You may change servers at any time by selecting a new server
from the
``Server''
option menu on the main screen.
As a special case,
the option labelled
``Stand Alone"
can be selected to put the client
into
standalone mode
(see section 1).
To load a new control file,
select
``Open''
from the
``File''
pull-down menu.
A file selection dialog box will pop up
containing a list of control files from which to choose.
By default, the program searches the following directories for control files:
DISNEY::USR$DISK1:[OPS.NMTUNE]
DISNEY::USR$DISK1:[OPS.NTUNE]
DISNEY::USR$DISK1:[OPS.PTUNE]
DISNEY::USR$DISK1:[OPS.MTUNE]
This will cause the server to load the specified control file.
This feature is disabled if the user running the AutoTune client is not OPS.
In standalone mode,
any user may load a control file.
The main screen displays an array of
SWIC profiles.
One horizontal
and
one vertical
profile is displayed per SWIC.
The set
of
SWICs that are displayed is determined by the control file
that is currently loaded by the server.
A
vertical
slider to the right of each pair of profiles
allows one to select a particular scan to view.
The calculated position of the scan being displayed is
shown in a label above each profile.
The position is calculated relative to the marker,
or to the center if there is no marker.
Underneath each profile is a
horizontal
slider,
with which one may move the profile
by up to 10 wires in either direction.
The profile will automatically track the slider as it is moved.
If a slider is disabled
(grayed out),
then the corresponding profile is not controllable.
If there are more profiles than will fit on the screen,
then one may either make the window larger,
or use the scroll bars provided to scroll the display.
If a profile has a large
``X''
drawn over it,
or if the marker lines are missing,
then either the scanner,
or the FIFO device has returned an error status.
Section 10 explains how to get more information.
If the calculated position is not shown
(that is, if a straight line is drawn through the field that would normally contain the position,)
then the beam intensity is too low to permit an accurate calculation.
See section 11.
To see an expanded view of a profile,
select
``Closeup''
from the
``Options''
pull-down menu.
Then,
from the sub-menu,
select the name of the desired SWIC.
A dialog box will pop up that shows a larger view of the
selected SWIC's horizontal and vertical profiles.
The closeup view also
prints
each profile's position relative to the marker
(or center),
and
the marker positions.
After using the sliders to adjust the position of each profile,
press the
``Do Tune''
button to cause the settings on the
appropriate
magnets to be adjusted
and
move the beam.
A dialog box will pop up that displays progress messages as the program
performs each step in calculating and changing the settings.
These messages are also written to a log file
(see section 12 for more details about the log file).
This
dialog box can be popped up at any time by selecting
``Server Progress''
from the
``Options''
pull-down menu.
The dialog box will save the results from previous tunings;
a scroll bar is provided so that all of the previous messages can be seen.
Note that the server will reject a request to move the beam
that comes from any account other than OPS.
The
``Do Tune''
is disabled for non-OPS users.
In standalone mode,
any user may press the
``Do Tune''
button.
But
if the user does not have the necessary
PIG
privileges,
then
one or more settings
will fail,
and an error message will be displayed.
The progress dialog box contains an
``Abort''
button.
Pressing this button after a tune has started,
but before any settings have been made
(
at time
T3),
will cause the tune to be aborted
(that is, no settings will be made).
If the
``Abort''
button is pressed after the settings have begun,
or after they have finished,
then there will be no effect.
An option menu in the upper-left corner of the screen shows the mode
of the server.
(The modes are described in the following subsections).
This option menu is disabled for non-OPS users,
unless the client is in standalone mode.
In
``Manual''
mode,
the operator must explicitely request all changes
(by setting the sliders, and then pressing the
``Do Tune''
button).
In
``Semi-Automatic''
mode,
the program will monitor the beam position,
and if/when the beam strays off of a marker
(or center, if there is no marker),
the program will pop up a dialog box that asks
for permission to make the changes.
When the dialog box is popped up,
the terminal will beep,
and if the program is iconifed,
it will de-iconify itself.
Each
section of a beamline area
has a SEM associated with it in the control file.
If the reading from the SEM is below a threshold value,
also set in the control file,
then the program will not attempt to tune that section.
The following buttons are displayed at the bottom of the dialog box:
- Dismiss:
-
Pressing
``Dismiss''
will cause the dialog box to be unposted,
with no other effect.
If the
position of the
beam is not corrected,
then
the dialog box will be popped
up
again
after the next spill.
- Accept:
-
Pressing
``Accept''
will cause the proposed changes to be made.
This is the same as if the operator had made the changes
manually,
and then pressed the
``Do Tune''
button.
- Display:
-
Pressing
``Display''
will cause the sliders on the main screen to be adjusted to reflect the
proposed changes.
The operator may then press either
``Accept''
or
``Do Tune''
to effect the changes.
Note: After pressing the display button,
the operator may modify the changes by adjusting the sliders on the main screen.
In this case,
the
``Do Tune''
button will include the changes in the tune,
but
the
``Accept''
button will send the proposed changes
without
the modifications.
If the operator does nothing,
then the program will wait,
but will keep the dialog box updated to reflect the current beam conditions.
If the beam corrects itself
(or if the operator adjusts the magnets via another mechanism),
then the dialog box will be unposted.
In
``Automatic''
mode,
the server will monitor the beam position,
and if/when the beam strays off of a marker
the server
will make the settings necessary to correct the beam.
A dialog box will pop-up showing the progress messages from the tune
(see section 7,
``Do Tune'').
Note that the server will continue to automatically tune the beam
even if there is no operator watching the server.
The following constraints are placed on the server
when it is in automatic mode:
-
When the server starts,
or loads a new control file,
it will not try to move the beam
until at least one cycle has passed.
-
If an accelerator abort event occurred at any time during the previous cycle,
then the server will not try to move the beam.
-
If the SEM associated with a SWIC has a reading that is below the threshold,
then the server will not touch the magnet associated with that SWIC.
-
Similarly,
if a SWIC is not in the beam
(i.e.,
the status is
``OUT''),
then the server will not touch the magnet associated with that SWIC.
-
If the server detects that at any point the beam is to be moved by more than
four wires,
then
instead of automatically moving the beam
the server will ask for permission from
an
operator before moving the beam.
This is the same as semi-automatic mode.
If there is no operator available,
then the server will do nothing.
-
Automatic mode is not available when the client is in standalone mode.
If an erorr occurs while reading a SWIC scanner,
then a large
``X''
is drawn over the profiles.
If an error occurs while reading a FIFO device
(the FIFO devices are what the program uses to read the marker positions),
then the marker lines will not be drawn for that SWIC.
To find out more information,
select
``SWIC Status''
from the
``Options''
pull-down menu.
A dialog box will pop up
containing
the most recent status message from each device.
Note:
If a SWIC scanner is set up to collect fewer than
ten scans,
then the empty scans will be marked with an
``X''
if you try to view them.
If the status dialog box shows a success status for a profile that has an
``X''
drawn over it,
then that scan is not being collected by the scanner.
For example,
if a SWIC is in fast spill mode,
and is only collecting six scans,
then scans seven through ten
will be
marked with an
``X''.
The SWIC
will
also
be
marked with an
``X''
if it is out of the beam.
The control file associates a SEM and a threshold value with each beam area.
If the reading from a SEM is below the threshold value,
then the program will not try to tune that area
when in Semi-Automatic mode.
This is to prevent false alarms when the beam is off
or at low intensity.
The user may still tune those areas manually.
Also
in this case,
the calculated positions
displayed
on the main screen
will be replaced with a straight horizontal line.
To see the current reading
and thresholds for the SEMs,
select
``SEM status''
from the
``Options''
pull-down menu.
AutoTune needs to have certain logicals defined in the
job
logical table
(for the client),
or the
system
logical table
(for the server).
These logicals are automatically defined by the startup file in the
Epicure programs area (see section 1).
This list is included for completeness,
and will probably not be useful to the general user.
- AUTOTUNE$FILES:
-
The directory in which AutoTune will look for control
(and other)
files.
This logical must be defined.
- AUTOTUNE$DEFAULT:
-
The particular server to connect to,
or control file to load,
when the program starts.
If the translation matches the name of a server,
the the program connects to that server.
Else
it is interpreted as a control file name.
If the directory is omitted,
then the directory pointed to by
AUTOTUNE$FILES
will be used.
If the file extension is omitted,
then the extension
``.CTL''
will be used.
If this logical is not defined,
then the first file
found with the extension
``.CTL''
will be used.
- AUTOTUNE$LOGDIR:
-
The directory in which AutoTune will put its log files.
A log file is created every time a tune is done.
The contents of the log file are the same as the
server progress dialog box.
The name of the log file has the form:
TUNE_<control>.<date>,
Where <control> is the name of the control file
being used, and <date> contains the date and
time that the tune was started.
This logical must be defined.
- AUTOTUNE$TEMPDIR:
-
The directory in which AutoTune will put any necessary temporary files.
This logical must be defined.
- AUTOTUNE$TRANSPORT:
-
The name of the transport executable file.
The full name,
including the directory and disk,
must be specified.
- AUTOTUNE$NETNAME:
-
The DECnet task name to use for the server.
This logical must be defined on each node that is running a server.
- AUTOTUNE$SERVER_NODES:
-
A list of nodes on which servers might be running.
When attempting to connect to a server,
the AutoTune client program will try each node until it succeeds.
- AUTOTUNE$SERVERS:
-
A list of servers.
This list is used to build the
``Server''
option menu in the AutoTune Client program.
When the user makes a selection,
the program will look for the selected server on each of the nodes specified by the logical
``AUTOTUNE$SERVER_NODES''.
- AUTOTUNE$SERVER_PARAMETERS:
-
The full path name of a file that the server uses to store information that it needs
at startup.
Currently,
the file contains the name of the control file, and the mode.
These are saved in the file whenever they are changed.
They will automatically be retrieved if the server restarts.
Thus the operators do not need to modify the startup file to change the control file or mode.
This logical must be defined on each node that is running a server.
- AUTOTUNE$SERVER_MODE:
-
Defined by the server in user mode as part of its startup.
Not visible from outside the program.
A dialog box will pop up with this message if the
AutoTune client
loses the connection to the server.
The name of the server and the node that it was running on
will be included in the error message.
The probable reason for the error is that the server has crashed,
or been restarted.
The
EOPERATOR
account can be used to see if the server has
crashed
(``check autotune''),
and if necessary restart the server
(``restart autotune'').
Use the
``Server''
option menu on the main screen of the program to reconnect to the
server once it is restarted.
A dialog box containing this message will pop up if the
AutoTune client
is unable to connect to the selected server.
This can happen on startup
or when the user selects a new server via the
``Server''
option menu.
If a server that is supposed to be running is not,
it can be restarted via the
EOPERATOR
account
(see above).
If the server is in Semi-Automatic mode,
the beam is out of position,
and the program is not reacting,
it may be because the designated SEM has too low a reading.
The control file associates a SEM and a threshold value for each SWIC in the control file.
If the reading from the SEM is below the threshold,
the the program will not propose a tune based on that SWIC.
This is to prevent the program from trying to move the beam when the intensity is too low for
an accurate measurement of the position.
If a SWIC profile has a large
``X''
drawn over it, then that SWIC is returning an error status.
Select
``SWIC Status''
from the
``Options''
pull-down menu
to pop up a dialog box that contains the
most
recent
status message from each SWIC.
If the status for the SWIC is good,
but the
``X''
is still drawn,
it may be that the SWIC is set up to collect fewer than ten scans.
Try adjusting the
``Scan''
slider on the main screen.
If a SWIC profile shows no markers,
but the cable TV display does show markers,
then there is a problem reading the FIFO
(A FIFO device is associated with each SWIC scanner,
and is used to read out the markers, as well as other infomation).
Select
``SWIC Status''
from the
``Options''
pull-down menu
to pop up a dialog box that contains the
most
recent
status message from each FIFO.
If the AutoTune client pops up a dialog box announcing that a tune
is in progress,
and
you never pressed the
``Do Tune''
button,
then it means that
either:
somebody else
(from the OPS account)
has started the tune;
or the server is in automatic mode,
and has decided on its own to move the beam.
When the server is not in automatic mode,
then
only the OPS account can tell a server to start a tune,
but the progress messages are sent to all clients that are connected.
The
``Do Tune''
button,
``Mode''
option menu,
and the
``Open''
button in the
``File''
menu
are disabled when the AutoTune client connects to a server
and the user is not OPS.
Non-OPS users can move the beam by using the
``Server''
option menu
to put the client into
standalone mode,
and then loading the appropriate control file.
Note that such users will still need PIG privilege to make the required settings.
While a tune is in progress,
until T6 + 8 secs after the tune is done,
the program will disable the
horizontal
sliders under the profiles
that are used to adjust the beam.
This is
done
because
the displayed profiles are not current
while the tune is in progress.
If the calculated position of the beam on the main screen is missing
(that is, if it is replaced by a straight horizontal line),
then the beam intensity is too low to permit an accurate calculation.
See section 10.
The calculated position is also not shown if the SWIC is out of the beam.
The automatic button is disabled if the client is in standalone mode.
It is also disabled for non-OPS users when connected to a server
(in fact,
all
of the mode buttons are disabled in this case).
Only the OPS account is allowed to change the server mode.
If the beam is
at any point
more than four wires away from the desired position,
then it will ask for permission to move the beam,
as though it were in semi-automatic mode.
This is to prevent the program from automatically making radical changes.
Keywords:
RDCS,
Transport,
Tuning,
Reading,
Setting,
Beamline,
X
Distribution: normal
- ...application
- As an X Window application,
the output of this program can be displayed only on an X terminal,
or on a workstation that is running an X-based windowing system
(such as DECwindows.)
- ...beamline
- Presently, there are PROTON, NEUTRINO, and KTEV servers. A MESON server can also be added.
- ...marker.
- Note: This program uses a different algorithm than the one that calculates the mean for the TV monitors.
- ...mechanism
- Such as page.
- ...wires
- This value can be changed, if necessary
devoy@fnal.gov
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