Tom Nicinski

SDSS data management and photometric quality assessment

We summarize the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data acquisition and processing steps, and describe runQA, a pipeline designed for automated data quality assessment. In particular, we show how the position of the stellar locus in color-color diagrams can be used to estimate the accuracy of photometric zeropoint calibration to better than 0.01 mag in 0.03 deg2 patches. Using this method, we estimate that typical photometric zeropoint calibration errors for SDSS imaging data are not larger than ∼0.01 mag in the g, r, and i bands, 0.02 mag in the z band, and 0.03 mag in the u band (root-mean-scatter for zeropoint offsets). (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Pan-da And Beyond Data Acquisition For the Next Generation Experiments

We report on the status of the PAN-DA data acquisition system presented at the last Real Time Conference. Since that time, PAN-DA has been successfully used in the fixed target program at Fermilab. We also report on the plans and strategies for development of a new data acquisition system for the next generation of fixed target experiments at Fermilab. 10 refs., 3 figs.

A real time integrated environment for Motorola 680xx-based VME and FASTBUS modules

The Software Components Group pSOS operating system kernel and pROBE debugger have been extended to support the Fermilab PAN-DA data acquisition system for a variety of Motorola 680xx-based VME and FASTBUS modules. These extensions include: a multitasking, reentrant implementation of Microtec C/Pascal; a serial port driver for terminal I/O and data transfer; a message reporting facility; and enhanced debugging tools. An overview of the system is given, and the run-time-library reentrancy and process context, the serial port driver, the SYS68K Message Reporter System subroutine package, and the enhanced debugging tools are discussed. >

The PAN-DA data acquisition system

The VAXONLINE data acquisition package has been extended to include a VME-based data path. The resulting environment, PAN-DA, provides a high throughput for logging, filtering, formatting, and selecting events. The authors describe the history and rationale of the system, the VME hardware modules, PAN-DA systems coordination, and system connectivity. >

The Vaxonline Software System at Fermilab

The VAXONLINE software system, started in late 1984, is now in use at 12 experiments at Fermilab, with at least one VAX or MicroVax. Data acquisition features now provide for the collection and combination of data from one or more sources, via a list-driven Event Builder program. Supported sources include CAMAC, FASTBUS, Front-end PDP-11s, Disk, Tape, DECnet and other processors running VAXONLINE. This paper describes the functionality provided by the VAXONLINE system, gives performance figures and discusses the ongoing program of enhancements.

Software for the Fermilab FASTBUS Smart Crate Controller

We report on software developed in support of the Fermilab FASTBUS Smart Crate Controller. This software includes a full suite of diagnostics, support for FASTBUS Standard Routines, and extended software to allow communication over the RS-232 and Ethernet ports. The communication software supports remote procedure call execution from a host VAX or Unix system. The software supported on the FSCC forms part of the PAN-DA software system which supports the functions of front end readout controllers and event builders in multiprocessor, multilevel. distributed data acquisition systems.

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey's use of the Web

Abstract Fermilab, as one of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey collaborators, primarily uses the World-Wide Web to disseminate information about project software and software engineering practices.

Development of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey online systems

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is an astrophysics project to produce a three dimensional map of a quarter of the Universe. We present a description of the SDSS prototype, the Drift Scan Camera (DSC) online system, which is operational and currently being deployed. We also present the status of the development of the SDSS online system. The hardware and software architectures for both systems are provided. >

Software Standards, Methods and Quality Control for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Collaboration involves upwards of 50 scientists, many of whom are involved in the development and use of the software needed to acquire, process and archive the image and spectroscopic data sets. Fermilab has major responsibilities in the development and maintenance of the project`s software and for its software engineering practices. The authors report on the standards and methodologies they have developed in support of these activities.

Uniform Remote Control of Front End Processors in PAN-DA

Abstract The PAN-DA data acquisition software system encompasses support for a variety of front end processors including the Struck General Purpose Master (GPM), the Fermilab Smart Crate Controller (FSCC), and the Motorola MVME133-A VME single board computer. PAN- DA provides support for the remote control of these processors through its Remote Procedure execution (RPX) software. This software runs over serial lines, and in some PAN-DA environments, over the Ethernet and TCP/lP as well. Experiments E791 and E771 have successfully used RPX software in both FSCC software development and data collection during the 1990-1991 fixed target run at Fermilab. RPX software has facilitated development and testing of the Fermilab Silicon Strip Detector readout system, for which the FSCC is an integral component, RPX based control and monitoring of the GPM and the MVME133-A are essential parts of the PANDA data acquisition system used by E687 and E773 during the 1990.1991 run. I. INTRODUCTION Although a greater amount of intelligence is finding its way into front end processors, because of their dedicated task and real time requirements, they will always lack the full functionality of general purpose computers. Because of this, central control is usually provided by more appropriate general purpose computers. This paper discusses the software provided for controlling PAN-DA Il.21 front end processors from remote hosts. This software provides a uniform high level interface through remote procedure calls for a variety of front end processors, and a variety of other levels of communications mechanisms depending on the spccilic front end processor. Two specilic applications of the control software are presented: The PAN- DA data acquisition control and remote control of FSCCs. 1 Sponsored by DOE contracl No. DE-AC02-76CH03000 II. SYSTEM LEVEL SOFTWARE The communications software uses Software Components Group’s operating system, pSOS, and was developed with their pROBE board level debugger. The software and device drivers are developed on VAXes “sing cross tools from Microtec3, Inc., including C and Pascal compilers, assembler, librarian, and linker. Source code and product management ate also handled on the VAX. The Microtcc Run Time Library, which supports both C and Pascal, has been slightly modified to provide the process teennancy necessary for multitasking. Our embedded systems environment is supported on 68000 based processors, and has bee” ported to all PAN-DA front end processors discussed here. It integrates the operating system, the board hardware, the Run Time Library and other high level language support, utility libraries, a serial port driver, and drivers for other processor peripherals. The serial ports are accessible by standard language l/O consnwts. System PROMS provided with the FSCC [3,4] include a” Ethernet downloader called DETH [41. DETH comes up automatically when the board is reset, and listens for download requests from VAX hosts. Applications can be started automatically when downloaded by DETH, or at a later time. The MVME133-A can be downloaded over the in-house vertical bus (Branch Bus) or RS-232. The GPM can be downloaded only over RS-232. The embedded environment also provides the capability to boot applications from ROM, or other non volatile memories, by copying into RAM, or running directly out of ROM. III. COMMUNICATIONS SOFIWARE Supported front end processors are able to communicate with the outside world over RS-232, Ethernet, or both. The software we have layered on top of these two media is depicted in Figure 1. 2pSOS and pROBE are trademarks of Software Components Group, Inc. 3Microtec is a registered trademark of Microtec Research,