How-To and Shift Info

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How-To-HRS (Detailed documentation and troubleshooting)

A shift portal page is available with summarized instructions for shift takers.

This page contains a listing of all procedures, including information that may be relevant only in specific cases. This page is obviously in progress; please contribute to it or contact any of the tritium students with updates.

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How to manage your BTA (for Shift Leader)

Open your browser on an a-onl@aonl machine
[1] https://bta/
[2] Login your name/pass word
[3] File->Open Timesheet
[4] choose: Hall:A -> Day-> Shift: Owl(or Day/Swing)
[5] click "Open"
[6] You see the address bar:
(Note that NO time specifically required! e.g.:https://bta/experimenter/a/2014-12-16/owl/end=2014_12_16_08_00;start2014_12_16_00_00) -> this will give you error when you save info for MCC

Instead, do the following

  https://bta/experimenter/a/2014-12-16/owl/

[7] If you want to edit hour(s), Please click very right "pencil" icon, then make a comment or edit time
DO NOT USE *EDIT ALL* ON THE BOTTOM
[8] To save your edited info into DATABASE, just click "V" (check-mark) in same place of "pencil" icon
[9] When MCC call you for BTA (An hour before your shift end), click "SAVE INFO for MCC"
[10] Read number ABU and BANU. (That's it ! This should work !)
[11] End of shift, please sign off
[12] Once you've done, please Logout.

BTA_Snapshot	BTA_Snapshot
STEP #1	STEP #2

Troubleshooting

• The start and end of run entries do not show up in HALOG:
  • Make sure you have waited long enough. Automated entries take a while to show up in the HAlog.
  • You want to quit coda, connect to adaql2 as a-onl using ssh, and restart coda. Yes even if you are already connected on adaql2 as a-onl, the ssh part is what you need here.

• If you hear an alarm with a very deep voice, read this [logbook entry.]

Beam Recovery Procedure

Update: October 24, 2010.

• Empty target, establish correct beam position
• 5 uA empty target
• BPM4A (X,Y) = ( 0.0, 0.0) mm
• BPM4B (X,Y) = ( 0.0, 0.0) mm
• See white board for updates on these.
• Tolerances on these : +/- 0.3 mm
• In standard configuration we run without the raster (ok on cryotarget if beam current is less than 5uA)
• Put in BeO target, for visual check of spot (if camera still works)
  • 10 uA rastered beam on BeO.

Data Acquisition

Basic Data Acquisition with CODA (updated 11/3)

This assumes runcontrol is already up. If not, go to Starting CODA From Scratch below.

Need to add a description of what/how the data taking process will occur!

• How to run DAQ on LEFT HRS:
  • From a terminal login as "adaq" on adaq1 machine (do "ssh adaq@adaq1" without the quotes)
  • Password is available on the white board
  • After login to adaq1, type "startcoda" to bring up the runcontrol GUI
  • The default configuration is " ????", if it is not loaded you can choose it from the menu "configurations->Cool", select "????"
  • Click "Platform->connect"
  • Click on "Download" button
  • Click on "Start (>>)" button, and acknowledge "start-of-run" pop-up window
  • To end a run click on "End" button

• How to run DAQ on RIGHT HRS:
  • From a terminal login as "adaq" on adaq2 machine (do "ssh adaq@adaq2" without the quotes)
  • Password is available on the white board
  • After login to adaq2, type "startcoda" to bring up the runcontrol GUI
  • The default configuration is "?????", if it is not loaded you can choose it from the menu "configurations->Cool", select "?????"
  • Click "Platform->connect"
  • Click on "Download" button
  • Click on "Start (>>)" button, and acknowledge the "start-of-run" pop-up window
  • To end a run click on "End" button

• How to kill coda processes
  • At the terminal of adaq1 (for LHRS) or adaq2 (for RHRS), type "kcoda".

Some common issues with the DAQ

Setting prescale factor for the HRS only (updated 11/03)

   For Left HRS:
 *   log in as adaq on adaq1 machine
 *   type "prescaleL &" to open the GUI
 *   set the desired prescale factors and click "Save" and Exit 

   For Right HRS:
 *   log in as "adaq" on "adaq2" machine
 *   type "prescaleR &" to open the GUI
 *   set the desired prescale factors and click "Save" and Exit 

   Definition of triggers:(Proposed for Argon- 02/07/17)
       T1 = L-arm s0 && s2 && Shower
       T2 = L-arm (s0 || s2) && (Cherenov||Shower)
       T3 = R-arm s0 && s2 
       T4 = R-arm (s0 || s2) && !(Cherenov||Shower)
       T5 = T1 && T3
       T6 = T2 && T4
       T7 = L-arm EDTM trigger
       T8 = 103.7 kHz pulser (for LHRS), 1.024 kHz (for RHRS)
       T9 = 

Starting xscaler (HRS) and checking raw trigger rates (updated nov 5, 2014)

Raw rates of trigger and detector channels can be accessed using a GUI. Below are the instructions for opening "xscaler" GUI

• These screens are generally already open on the agen5 machine (above the DAQ machine)

• If it is xscaler is not open then follow these instructions:
  • login as a-onl on adaq1 or adaq2 machines (eg: "ssh a-onl@adaq1" )
  • passwords are written on the white board
  • type "goxscaler" and follow the instructions printed on the screen
  • type "./xscaler Left" or "./xscaler Right" to access xscaler display

How to download and check the LHRS MLU trigger (updated 11/05)

  Consult the MLU information off the main Hall A 

wiki page.

How to check the dead time

last update 12/2/14
"Needs to be updated" There are two ways to check for deadtime:

• online using the XScaler tool.
  
  • See above for instructions on how-to open the Xscaler.
  • Select the "misc" tab.
  • the ratio (DVCS_stop/DVCS_masterOR) is a measurement of the live time for our main trigger.

• offline. This solution allows to check deadtime for individual triggers (say DIS or DVCS, ...)
  

After you replay the run, ssh to aonl1, aonl2, aonl3 or aonl4 machine and:

> godvcs
> cd marco/deadtime/
> analyzer
> .L deadtime.C
> deadtime(NNNNN)

Cold Start Checklist (when beam has been off for several hours)

• Confirm target is “empty target”
• Call for pulsed beam for tuning
• Tune beam to beam dump (straight through, no Compton chicane)
• Call for 10μA beam
  • establish beam position
  • check beam charge monitors
  • check beam position monitors
• Confirm HRSs set to correct value
• Move target to THIN Carbon position for detector check out
• For detector checkout: current = 0.5μA
• Check out detectors at different currents
• In standard production configuration, check that the raster is off.
• Resume runplan

Starting CODA From Scratch

You do not need to do this routinely - only if you are starting from a fresh login or after a computer crash. Log in a a-onl account on adaql2 ( check with Run Coordinator in case you don't know the password )

(Contact: Bob Michaels)

Power cycling Fastbus crates

Right HRS only : go in Tools screen -> Crate Resets -> Lower Fastbus AC

This will power cycle all 3 ROCs of the fastbus

Same for Left HRS but it will get stuck off. To get the Fastbus back on login into hareboot2 from an accelerator account or hlal00 and power cycle iocha4 which is on port 1

Reboot crates

On one workspace you will see six xterms with names of the crates in the title, e.g. "ROC4--hallasfi4--hatsv40-port6". From each of the six xterms, you should telnet into the appropriate RS232 interface, e.g. for the above, "telnet hatsv40 2006" (if the prompt in the xterm is "->", it is already connected). The "hallasfi4" is the internet name of the crate's cpu.

If the xterms are missing, type "setupxterms".

From these xterms, you reboot by typing "ctrl-X". Yes, you hold down the Ctrl key, then hit X. You can also type reboot but "ctrl-X" is better. You can also reboot from the crate resets GUI on HA Tools.

To power cycle the DVCS crates, type crateOff in a terminal in logged as a-onl and after crateON to turn both ROC17 and ROC18 back on.

For full details about the Hall A DAQ (including reboot procedures) see This or This

If you have trouble downloading to ROC31

If ROC31 (or one of the other Intel CPU crates) gives errors in the "Configure" or "Download" steps, first try the following:

1. In RunControl, select the "Release Components" option under the "Platform" menu from the top menu bar.
2. In a terminal on adaq1, run the command "killdvcsrocs"
3. In a terminal on adaq1, run the command "dvcsrocs". Terminal windows for ROCs 27-31 should appear.
4. Select the "Configurations/Cool" menu, and select the proper run type (as of 22Oct2016, it should be LHRSBuf).
5. Now try to configure and download.
6. If it fails to configure or download again, try this once again, but do "kcoda" and "startcoda" instead of the "killdvcsrocs" and "dvcsrocs".
7. If still fails, try rebooting ROC31 as described below and call P.King (number on whiteboard).
   Note that if you reboot ROC31, the EDTM system will need to be restarted.

--a remote power switch is installed on DVCS rack mostly for the trigger and VME trigger crate

port assignement can be found at https://logbooks.jlab.org/entry/3304858

Port	Device
1	trigger crate
2	trigger
3	nim crate1
6	portserver
7	network switch
8	Fan

You can telnet or use a web browser to access hareboot30 ( make sure proxy is off if you use a web browser )

Start CODA

Open a terminal and type startcoda.

The runcontrol window will appear: File:Startcoda.png

Hit the "Connect" button, then "Configure" (choose a configuration e.g. LeftHrs), and "Start Run", or, to troubleshoot, "Download", "Prestart", and "Go".

How to Take a Pedestal Run

HRS pedestals

If you've been running the normal spectrometer DAQ configuration, you'll need to press "Abort", then "RunTypes" and select the PEDRUN configuration. Download, StartRun. Run for about 5000 events, then EndRun. You may check the pedestal files in ~/ped (pedN.dat corresponding to ROC #N). See README there for more details. After pedestal run, change back to the running configuration.

NOTE: DONT try to use PEDRUN for anything other than pedestal determination -- its confusing since the prescale factors are in a different file, etc. If you want a run with pedestal suppression turned off, see the README.

[Contact List (to be updated)]

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