Author: Martin Marquez, M.
Paper Title Page
MOMAU004 Database Foundation for the Configuration Management of the CERN Accelerator Controls Systems 48
 
  • Z. Zaharieva, M. Martin Marquez, M. Peryt
    CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
 
  The Controls Configuration DB (CCDB) and its interfaces have been developed over the last 25 years in order to become nowadays the basis for the Configuration Management of the Controls System for all accelerators at CERN. The CCDB contains data for all configuration items and their relationships, required for the correct functioning of the Controls System. The configuration items are quite heterogeneous, depicting different areas of the Controls System – ranging from 3000 Front-End Computers, 75 000 software devices allowing remote control of the accelerators, to valid states of the Accelerators Timing System. The article will describe the different areas of the CCDB, their interdependencies and the challenges to establish the data model for such a diverse configuration management database, serving a multitude of clients. The CCDB tracks the life of the configuration items by allowing their clear identification, triggering change management processes as well as providing status accounting and audits. This necessitated the development and implementation of a combination of tailored processes and tools. The Controls System is a data-driven one - the data stored in the CCDB is extracted and propagated to the controls hardware in order to configure it remotely. Therefore a special attention is placed on data security and data integrity as an incorrectly configured item can have a direct impact on the operation of the accelerators.  
slides icon Slides MOMAU004 [0.404 MB]  
poster icon Poster MOMAU004 [6.064 MB]  
 
MOPKN010 Database and Interface Modifications: Change Management Without Affecting the Clients 106
 
  • M. Peryt, R. Billen, M. Martin Marquez, Z. Zaharieva
    CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
 
  The first Oracle-based Controls Configuration Database (CCDB) was developed in 1986, by which the controls system of CERN's Proton Synchrotron became data-driven. Since then, this mission-critical system has evolved tremendously going through several generational changes in terms of the increasing complexity of the control system, software technologies and data models. Today, the CCDB covers the whole CERN accelerator complex and satisfies a much wider range of functional requirements. Despite its online usage, everyday operations of the machines must not be disrupted. This paper describes our approach with respect to dealing with change while ensuring continuity. How do we manage the database schema changes? How do we take advantage of the latest web deployed application development frameworks without alienating the users? How do we minimize impact on the dependent systems connected to databases through various API's? In this paper we will provide our answers to these questions, and to many more.