FGC3.2: A New Generation of Embedded Controls Computer for Power Converters at CERN

Modern power converters (power supplies) at CERN are controlled by devices known as Function Generator/Controllers (FGCs), which are embedded computer systems providing function generation, current and field regulation, and state control. FGCs were originally conceived for the LHC in the early 2000s, though later generations are now increasingly being deployed in the accelerators in the LHC Injector Chain (Linac4, Booster, Proton Synchrotron and SPS) to replace obsolete equipment. A new generation of FGC known as the FGC3.2 is currently in development, which will provide for the evolving needs of the CERN accelerator complex and additionally be supplied to other HEP laboratories through CERN’s Knowledge and Technology Transfer program. This paper describes the evolution of FGCs, summarizes tests performed to evaluate candidate components for the FGC3.2 and details the final hardware and software architectures which were chosen. The new controller will make use of a multi-core ARM-based system-on-chip (SoC) running an embedded Linux operating system in contrast to earlier generations which combined a microcontroller and DSP with software running on ’bare metal’

The Architecture of the CMS Level-1 Trigger Control and Monitoring System

The architecture of the Level-1 Trigger Control and Monitoring system for the CMS experiment is presented. This system has been installed and commissioned on the trigger online computers and is currently used for data taking at the LHC. This is a medium-size distributed system that runs over 40 PCs and 200 processes that control about 4000 electronic boards. It has been designed to handle the trigger configuration and monitoring during data taking as well as all communications with the main run control of CMS. Furthermore its design has foreseen the provision of the software infrastructure for detailed testing of the trigger system during beam down time

Adaptation of CERN Power Converter Controls for Integration into Other Laboratories using EPICS and TANGO

Modern power converters (power supplies) at CERN use proprietary controls hardware, which is integrated into the wider control system by software device servers developed specifically for the CERN environment, built using CERN libraries and communication protocols. There is a growing need to allow other HEP laboratories to make use of power converters that were originally developed for CERN and, consequently, a desire to allow for their efficient integration into control systems used at those laboratories, which are generally based upon either of the EPICS and Tango frameworks. This paper gives an overview of power converter equipment and software currently being provided to other laboratories through CERN’s Knowledge and Technology Transfer program and describes differences identified between CERN’s control system model and that of EPICS, which needed to be accounted for. A reference EPICS implementation provided by CERN to other laboratories to facilitate integration of the CERN power converter controls is detailed and the prospects for the development of a Tango equivalent in the future are also covered

SWATCH: common control SW for the uTCA-based upgraded CMS L1 Trigger

The CMS L1 Trigger electronics are composed of a large number of different cards based on the VMEBus standard. The majority of the system is being replaced to adapt the trigger to the higher collision rates the LHC will deliver after the LS1, the first phase on the CMS upgrade program. As a consequence, the software that controls, monitors and tests the hardware will need to be re-written. The upgraded trigger will consist of a set of general purpose boards of similar technology that follow the TCA specification, thus resulting in a more homogeneous system. A great effort has been made to identify the common firmware blocks and components shared across different cards, regardless of the role they play within the trigger data path. A similar line of work has been followed in order to identify all possible common functionalities in the control software, as well as in the database where the hardware initialisation and configuration data are stored. This will not only increase the homogeneity on the software and database sides, but it will also reduce the manpower needed to accommodate the online SW to the changes on hardware. Due to the fact that the upgrade will take place in different stages, it has been taken into consideration that these new components had to be integrated in the current SW framework. This paper presents the design of the control SW and configuration database for the upgraded L1 Trigger

SWATCH Common software for controlling and monitoring the upgraded CMS Level-1 trigger

The Large Hadron Collider at CERN restarted in 2015 with a higher centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The instantaneous luminosity is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. An upgraded Level-1 trigger system is being deployed in the CMS experiment in order to maintain the same efficiencies for searches and precision measurements as those achieved in the previous run. This system must be controlled and monitored coherently through software, with high operational efficiency.The legacy system is composed of approximately 4000 data processor boards, of several custom application-specific designs. These boards are organised into several subsystems; each subsystem receives data from different detector systems (calorimeters, barrel/endcap muon detectors), or with differing granularity. These boards have been controlled and monitored by a medium-sized distributed system of over 40 computers and 200 processes. Only a small fraction of the control and monitoring software was common between the different subsystems; the configuration data was stored in a database, with a different schema for each subsystem. This large proportion of subsystem-specific software resulted in high long-term maintenance costs, and a high risk of losing critical knowledge through the turnover of software developers in the Level-1 trigger project.The upgraded system is composed of a set of general purpose boards, that follow the MicroTCA specification, and transmit data over optical links, resulting in a more homogeneous system. This system will contain the order of 100 boards connected by 3000 optical links, which must be controlled and monitored coherently. The associated software is based on generic C++ classes corresponding to the firmware blocks that are shared across different cards, regardless of the role that the card plays in the system. A common database schema will also be used to describe the hardware composition and configuration data. Whilst providing a generic description of the upgrade hardware, its monitoring data, and control interface, this software framework (SWATCH) must also have the flexibility to allow each subsystem to specify different configuration sequences and monitoring data depending on its role. By increasing the proportion of common software, the upgrade systems software will require less manpower for development and maintenance. By defining a generic hardware description of significantly finer granularity, the SWATCH framework will be able to provide a more uniform graphical interface across the different subsystems compared with the legacy system, simplifying the training of the shift crew, on-call experts, and other operation personnel.We present here, the design of the control software for the upgrade Level-1 Trigger, and experience from using this software to commission the upgraded system.The Large Hadron Collider at CERN restarted in 2015 with a 13 TeV centre-of-mass energy. In addition, the instantaneous luminosity is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. In order to maintain the same efficiencies for searches and precision measurements as those achieved in the previous run, the CMS experiment upgraded the Level-1 trigger system. The new system consists of the order of 100 electronics boards connected by approximately 3000 optical links, which must be controlled and monitored coherently through software, with high operational efficiency. These proceedings present the design of the control software for the upgraded Level-1 Trigger, and the experience from using this software to commission and operate the upgraded system

Installation and Commissioning of the CMS Level-1 Calorimeter Trigger Upgrade

The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment is currently installing upgrades to their Calorimeter Trigger for LHC Run 2 to ensure that the trigger thresholds can stay low, and physics data collection will not be compromised. The electronics will be upgraded in two stages. Stage-1 for 2015 will upgrade some electronics and links from copper to optical in the existing calorimeter trigger so that the algorithms can be improved and we do not lose valuable data before stage-2 can be fully installed by 2016. Stage-2 will fully replace the calorimeter trigger at CMS with a micro-TCA and optical link system. It requires that the updates to the calorimeter back-ends, the source of the trigger primitives, be completed. The new systemâ??s boards will utilize Xilinx Virtex-7 FPGAs and have hundreds of high-speed links operating at up to 10 Gbps to maximize data throughput. The integration, commissioning, and installation of stage-1 in 2015 will be described, as well as the integration and parallel installation of the stage-2 in 2015, for a fully upgraded CMS calorimeter trigger in operation by 2016.Solenoid (CMS) experiment is currently installing an upgrade to their Calorimeter Trigger to ensure that the trigger thresholds can stay low, and physics data collection will not be compromised by these challenging conditions. The electronics will be upgraded in two stages. Stage-1 will upgrade some electronics and links from copper to optical in the existing calorimeter trigger so that the algorithms can be improved and we do not lose valuable data before Stage-2 can be fully installed. Stage-2 will fully replace the calorimeter trigger at CMS with a micro-TCA and optical link system, and require that the updates to the calorimeter back-ends, the source of the trigger primitives, are completed. The new systemâ??s boards will utilize Xilinx Virtex 7 FPGAs and have hundreds of high-speed links operating at up to 10 Gbps to maximize data throughput. The integration, commissioning, and installation of stage-1 in 2015 will be described, as well as the integration and parallel installation of the stage-2 in 2015, for an fully upgraded CMS calorimeter trigger in operation by 2016