Monitoring the LHCb Experiment Computing Infrastructure with NAGIOS

LHCb has a large and complex infrastructure consisting of thousands of servers and embedded computers, hundreds of network devices and a lot of common infrastructure services such as shared storage, login and time services, databases and many others. All aspects that are operatively critic are integrated into the standard Experiment Control System (ECS) based on PVSSII. This enables non-expert operators to do first-line reactions. As the lower level and in particular for monitoring the infrastructure, the Control System itself depends on a secondary infrastructure, whose monitoring is based on NAGIOS. We present the design and implementation of the fabric management based on NAGIOS. Care has been taken to complement rather than duplicate functionality available in the Experiment Control System

Monitoring the LHCb Experiment Computing Infrastructure with NAGIOS

LHCb has a large and complex infrastructure consisting of thousands of servers and embedded computers, hundreds of network devices and a lot of common infrastructure services such as shared storage, login and time services, databases and many others. All aspects that are operatively critic are integrated into the standard Experiment Control System (ECS) based on PVSSII. This enables non-expert operators to do first-line reactions. As the lower level and in particular for monitoring the infrastructure, the Control System itself depends on a secondary infrastructure, whose monitoring is based on NAGIOS. We present the design and implementation of the fabric management based on NAGIOS. Care has been taken to complement rather than duplicate functionality available in the Experiment Control System

The crystal structure of sacrofanite, the 74 Å phase of the cancrinite–sodalite supergroup

Sacrofanite, a = 12.903(2) Å, c = 74.284(8) Å, space group View the MathML source, belongs to the cancrinite–sodalite supergroup of minerals, and displays a 28-layer stacking sequence along the c axis. Its stacking sequence is ABCABACACABACBACBACABABACABC…, where A, B and C stand for the positions of six-member rings of tetrahedra in each layer. It corresponds to the Zhdanov symbol |12(8)21|12(8)21|, and gives rise to a framework with topological symmetry P63/mmc. The ordering of Si and Al in the tetrahedral sites reduces the symmetry to View the MathML source. The members of this supergroup of minerals belong to the wider ABC-6 family, where also double rings of tetrahedra may occur. They share many structural features with zeolites, showing structural cages hosting extra-framework ions as well as H2O molecules. The crystal structure of sacrofanite has been modelled on the basis of High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) images. The resulting model has been successfully refined by using both single-crystal synchrotron radiation and laboratory data. The refinements converged to R = 0.083 for 4228 unique reflections, and to R = 0.096 for 15,795 unique reflections, respectively. The resulting framework is formed by eight cancrinite and four sodalite cages superimposed along [0, 0, z], whereas one cancrinite, four sodalite, two losod, and one liottite cages occur along [1/3, 2/3, z] and [2/3, 1/3, z]. The structural formula of sacrofanite, as obtained from the refinement and by crystal chemical considerations, is (Na61K19Ca32)∑=112(Si84Al84O336)(SO4)26Cl2F6·2H2O

Software Management in the LHCb Online System

LHCb has a large online IT infrastructure with thousands of servers and embedded systems, network routers and switches, databases and storage appliances. These systems run a large number of different applications on various operating systems. The dominant operating systems are Linux and MS-Windows. This large heterogeneous environment, operated by a small number of administrators, requires that new software or updates can be pushed quickly, reliably and as automated as possible. We present here the general design of LHCb's software management along with the main tools: LinuxFC / Quattor and Microsoft SMS, how they have been adapted and integrated and discuss experiences and problems

Coopetition of software firms in Open source software ecosystems

Software firms participate in an ecosystem as a part of their innovation strategy to extend value creation beyond the firms boundary. Participation in an open and independent environment also implies the competition among firms with similar business models and targeted markets. Hence, firms need to consider potential opportunities and challenges upfront. This study explores how software firms interact with others in OSS ecosystems from a coopetition perspective. We performed a quantitative and qualitative analysis of three OSS projects. Finding shows that software firms emphasize the co-creation of common value and partly react to the potential competitiveness on OSS ecosystems. Six themes about coopetition were identified, including spanning gatekeepers, securing communication, open-core sourcing and filtering shared code. Our work contributes to software engineering research with a rich description of coopetition in OSS ecosystems. Moreover, we also come up with several implications for software firms in pursing a harmony participation in OSS ecosystems.Comment: This is the author's version of the work. Copyright owner's version can be accessed at https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-69191-6_10, Coopetition of software firms in Open source software ecosystems, 8th ICSOB 2017, Essen, Germany (2017

Adsorption performance and thermodynamic analysis of SAPO-34 silicone composite foams for adsorption heat pump applications

Abstract In the present work, adsorption performances of an innovative composite adsorber, based on SAPO-34-silicone composite macro-cellular foams, are reported. The choice of a foamed structure was assessed to improve the water vapor access towards the embedded zeolite keeping good adsorption heat pump dynamic performance. Depending on zeolite amount used as filler, zeolite/silicone foams evidenced a soft and open cell configuration (low zeolite content) or rigid and closed one (high zeolite content). Morphological analysis evidenced that the cellular structure of the foam is homogeneous and well distributed along the foam cross section. Adsorption tests showed that the adsorbent foamed samples have very effective adsorption capabilities indicating that the porous structure of the filled pure zeolite was not obstructed. SAPO-34 filler contributed actively, with an efficiency above 90%, to the adsorption performances of the composite foam. Starting from experimental equilibrium data, a simple thermodynamic analysis based on energy balances was carried out for air conditioning application. Results of the analysis demonstrated that foam technology can guarantee cooling COP up to 7% higher than that estimated for the typical adsorber solution based on loose adsorbent grains inside an aluminum finned-flat tube heat exchanger, which is very promising for practical application in adsorption heat pumps

Cloud-based Wizard of Oz as a service

The paper deals with theoretical and experimental issues of an idea towards a cloud-based Wizard of Oz in the Microsoft Azure cloud environment. Wizard of Oz is a common tool in social robotics and especially in specific applications like mental illness treatment, ambient assisted living, and many others. The final goal is to create a system with the ability to learn and replace a human wizard by an intelligent software agent, which simulates the behavior of the human. � 2015 IEEE

Crystal-chemistry of sulfates from the apuan alps (tuscany, italy). VI. Tl-bearing alum-(k) and voltaite from the fornovolasco mining complex

Thallium-bearing samples of alum-(K) and voltaite from the Fornovolasco mining complex (Apuan Alps, Tuscany, Italy) have been characterized through X‑ray diffraction, chemical analyses, micro-Raman, infrared (FTIR), Mössbauer, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Alum-(K) occurs as anhedral colorless grains or rarely as octahedral crystals, up to 5 mm. Electron-microprobe analysis points to the chemical formula (K0.74Tl0.10)ς0.84(Al0.84Fe0.14)ς0.98S2.03O8·12H2O. The occurrence of minor NH4+ $ext{NH}_{4}^{+}$ was detected through FTIR spectroscopy. Its unit-cell parameter is a = 12.2030(2) Å, V = 1817.19(9) Å3, space group Pa3¯. $Paar{3}.$Its crystal structure has been refined down to R1 = 0.0351 for 648 reflections with F o > 4σ(Fo) and 61 refined parameters. The crystal structure refinement agrees with the partial substitution of K by 12 mol% Tl. This substitution is confirmed by XAS data, showing the presence of Tl+ having a first coordination shell mainly formed by 6 O atoms at 2.84(2) Å. Voltaite occurs as dark green cubic crystals, up to 1 mm in size. Voltaite is chemically zoned, with distinct domains having chemical formula (K1.94Tl0.28)σ2.22(Fe2+3.57Mg0.94Mn0.55)σ5.06Fe3+3.06Al0.98S11.92O4818H2O and (K2.04Tl0.32)σ2.36(Fe2+3.83Mg0.91Mn0.29)σ5.03Fe3+3.05Al0.97S11.92O48 18H2O, respectively. Infrared spectroscopy confirmed the occurrence of minor NH4+ also in voltaite. Its unit-cell parameter is a = 27.2635 Å, V = 20265(4) Å3, space group Fd3c. The crystal structure was refined down to R1 = 0.0434 for 817 reflections with Fo > 4σ(Fo) and 87 refined parameters. The partial replacement of K by Tl is confirmed by the structural refinement. XAS spectroscopy showed that Tl+ is bonded to six O atoms, at 2.89(2) Å. The multi-technique characterization of thallium-bearing alum-(K) and voltaite improves our understanding of the role of K-bearing sulfates in immobilizing Tl in acid mine drainage systems, temporarily avoiding its dispersion in the environment

Fukalite: an example of OD structure with two-dimensional disorder

The real crystal structure of fukalite, Ca4Si2O 6(OH)2(CO3), was solved by means of the application of order-disorder (OD) theory and was refined through synchrotron radiation diffraction data from a single crystal. The examined sample came from the Gumeshevsk skarn copper porphyry deposit in the Central Urals, Russia. The selected crystal displays diffraction patterns characterized by strong reflections, which pointed to an orthorhombic sub-structure (the "family structure" in the OD terminology), and additional weaker reflections that correspond to a monoclinic real structure. The refined cell parameters are a = 7.573(3), b = 23.364(5), c = 11.544(4) Å, β = 109.15(1)°, space group P21/c. This unit cell corresponds to one of the six possible maximum degree of order (MDO) polytypes, as obtained by applying the OD procedure. The derivation of the six MDO polytypes is presented in the Appendix1. The intensity data were collected at the Elettra synchrotron facility (Trieste, Italy); the structure refinement converged to R = 0.0342 for 1848 reflections with I > 2σ(I) and 0.0352 for all 1958 data. The structure of fukalite may be described as formed by distinct structural modules: a calcium polyhedral framework, formed by tobermorite-type polyhedral layers alternating along b with tilleyitetype zigzag polyhedral layers; silicate chains with repeat every fifth tetrahedron, running along a and linked to the calcium polyhedral layers on opposite sides; and finally rows of CO3 groups parallel to (100) and stacked along a