Author: Homs, A.
Paper Title Page
WEAAUST01 Sardana: The Software for Building SCADAS in Scientific Environments 607
 
  • T.M. Coutinho, G. Cuní, D.F.C. Fernández-Carreiras, J. Klora, C. Pascual-Izarra, Z. Reszela, R. Suñé
    CELLS-ALBA Synchrotron, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
  • A. Homs, E.T. Taurel
    ESRF, Grenoble, France
 
  Sardana is a software for supervision, control and data acquisition in large and small scientific installations. It delivers important cost and time reductions associated with the design, development and support of the control and data acquisition systems. It enhances Tango with the capabilities for building graphical interfaces without writing code, a powerful python-based macro environment for building sequences and complex macros, and a comprehensive access to the hardware. It scales well to small laboratories as well as to large scientific institutions. It has been commissioned for the control system of Accelerators and Beamlines at the Alba Synchrotron.  
slides icon Slides WEAAUST01 [6.978 MB]  
 
WEMAU011 LIMA: A Generic Library for High Throughput Image Acquisition 676
 
  • A. Homs, L. Claustre, A. Kirov, E. Papillon, S. Petitdemange
    ESRF, Grenoble, France
 
  A significant number of 2D detectors are used in large scale facilities' control systems for quantitative data analysis. In these devices, a common set of control parameters and features can be identified, but most of manufacturers provide specific software control interfaces. A generic image acquisition library, called LIMA, has been developed at the ESRF for a better compatibility and easier integration of 2D detectors to existing control systems. The LIMA design is driven by three main goals: i) independence of any control system to be shared by a wide scientific community; ii) a rich common set of functionalities (e.g., if a feature is not supported by hardware, then the alternative software implementation is provided); and iii) intensive use of events and multi-threaded algorithms for an optimal exploit of multi-core hardware resources, needed when controlling high throughput detectors. LIMA currently supports the ESRF Frelon and Maxipix detectors as well as the Dectris Pilatus. Within a collaborative framework, the integration of the Basler GigE cameras is a contribution from SOLEIL. Although it is still under development, LIMA features so far fast data saving on different file formats and basic data processing / reduction, like software pixel binning / sub-image, background subtraction, beam centroid and sub-image statistics calculation, among others.  
slides icon Slides WEMAU011 [0.073 MB]  
 
WEPMN027 Fast Scalar Data Buffering Interface in Linux 2.6 Kernel 943
 
  • A. Homs
    ESRF, Grenoble, France
 
  Key instrumentation devices like counter/timers, analog-to-digital converter and encoders provide scalar data input. Many of them allow fast acquisitions, but do not provide hardware triggering or buffering mechanisms. A Linux 2.4 kernel driver called Hook was developed at the ESRF as a generic software-triggered buffering interface. This work presents the portage of the ESRF Hook interface to the Linux 2.6 kernel. The interface distinguishes two independent functional groups: trigger event generators and data channels. Devices in the first group create software events, like hardware interrupts generated by timers or external signals. On each event, one or more device channels on the second group are read and stored in kernel buffers. The event generators and data channels to be read are fully configurable before each sequence. Designed for fast acquisitions, the Hook implementation is well adapted to multi-CPU systems, where the interrupt latency is notably reduced. On heavily loaded dual-core PCs running standard (non real time) Linux, data can be taken at 1 KHz without losing events. Additional features include full integration into the sysfs (/sys) virtual filesystem and hotplug devices support.