PCaPAC2012 - List of Authors (Nair, P.M.)

Paper

Title

Page

Embedded CAMAC Controller: Hardware/Software Co-optimization for High Throughput

20

P.M. Nair, A. Behere, M.P. Diwakar, K. Jha, C.K. Pithawa, P. Sridharan
BARC, Trombay, Mumbai, India

Advances in technology have resulted in availability of low-power, low form-factor embedded PC based modules. The Embedded CAMAC Controller (ECC) is designed with ETX standard Single Board Computer having PC architecture with Ethernet connectivity. The paper highlights the software and hardware design optimizations to meet high throughput requirements of multi-parameter experiments and scan mode accelerator control applications. The QNX based software is designed for high throughput by adopting design strategies like multi-threaded architecture, interrupt-driven data transfer, buffer pool for burst data, zero memory copy, lockless primitives and batched event data transfer to host. The data buffer and all control logic for CAMAC cycle sequencing for LIST mode is implemented entirely in hardware in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). Through this design, sustained throughput of 1.5MBps has been achieved. Also, the host connectivity through Ethernet link enables support for multi-crate configuration, thus providing scalability. The ECC has been installed for accelerator control at FOTIA BARC, Pelletron and LINAC Pelletron TIFR and for multi-parameter experiments at NPD.

WEPD28

Re-envisioning the Operator Consoles for Dhruva Control Room

62

S. Gaur, M.P. Diwakar, P.M. Nair, C.K. Pithawa, P. Sridharan
BARC, Trombay, Mumbai, India
N.C. Gohel
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, India

Control Room design is undergoing rapid changes with the progressive adoption of computerization and automation. Advances in man-machine interfaces have further accelerated this trend. This paper presents the design and main features of Operator consoles (OC) using new technologies for Dhruva control room. The OCs have been designed so as not to burden the operator with information overload but to help him quickly assess the situation and timely take appropriate steps. The consoles provide minimalistic yet intuitive interfaces, context sensitive navigation, display of important information and progressive disclosure of situation based information. The use of animations, 3D graphics, and real time trends with the benefit of hardware acceleration to provide a resolution-independent rich user experience. The use of XAML, an XML based Mark-up Language for User Interface definition and C# for application logic resulted in complete separation of visual design, content, and logic. This also resulted in a workflow where separate teams could work on the UI and the logic of an application. The introduction of Model View View-Model has led to more testable and maintainable software.

Poster WEPD28 [1.777 MB]

Paper	Title	Page
WEPD10	Embedded CAMAC Controller: Hardware/Software Co-optimization for High Throughput	20
	P.M. Nair, A. Behere, M.P. Diwakar, K. Jha, C.K. Pithawa, P. Sridharan BARC, Trombay, Mumbai, India
	Advances in technology have resulted in availability of low-power, low form-factor embedded PC based modules. The Embedded CAMAC Controller (ECC) is designed with ETX standard Single Board Computer having PC architecture with Ethernet connectivity. The paper highlights the software and hardware design optimizations to meet high throughput requirements of multi-parameter experiments and scan mode accelerator control applications. The QNX based software is designed for high throughput by adopting design strategies like multi-threaded architecture, interrupt-driven data transfer, buffer pool for burst data, zero memory copy, lockless primitives and batched event data transfer to host. The data buffer and all control logic for CAMAC cycle sequencing for LIST mode is implemented entirely in hardware in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). Through this design, sustained throughput of 1.5MBps has been achieved. Also, the host connectivity through Ethernet link enables support for multi-crate configuration, thus providing scalability. The ECC has been installed for accelerator control at FOTIA BARC, Pelletron and LINAC Pelletron TIFR and for multi-parameter experiments at NPD.

WEPD28	Re-envisioning the Operator Consoles for Dhruva Control Room	62
	S. Gaur, M.P. Diwakar, P.M. Nair, C.K. Pithawa, P. Sridharan BARC, Trombay, Mumbai, India N.C. Gohel Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, India
	Control Room design is undergoing rapid changes with the progressive adoption of computerization and automation. Advances in man-machine interfaces have further accelerated this trend. This paper presents the design and main features of Operator consoles (OC) using new technologies for Dhruva control room. The OCs have been designed so as not to burden the operator with information overload but to help him quickly assess the situation and timely take appropriate steps. The consoles provide minimalistic yet intuitive interfaces, context sensitive navigation, display of important information and progressive disclosure of situation based information. The use of animations, 3D graphics, and real time trends with the benefit of hardware acceleration to provide a resolution-independent rich user experience. The use of XAML, an XML based Mark-up Language for User Interface definition and C# for application logic resulted in complete separation of visual design, content, and logic. This also resulted in a workflow where separate teams could work on the UI and the logic of an application. The introduction of Model View View-Model has led to more testable and maintainable software.
	Poster WEPD28 [1.777 MB]