Online Monitoring Procedure

How to Run the Online Monitoring System

Last Updated on Thursday, November 30, 2000 at 10:42:06

What is Online Monitoring?

Its purpose is to allow real-time, easy to use monitoring of the PHOBOS hardware and data.

How to Start Online Monitoring

1) Sit down in front of online machine (labelled "Online")

2) Check you are logged in. If not goto section "How to login to online machine".

3) Make sure you are in the upper left-hand corner desktop window. Look at the desktop manager in the upper right-hand corner. In the section called Work, click the upper left-hand corner window.

4) Start the monitor grabber macro. See section "Starting monitor grabber macro".

5) Start the monitor display macro. See section "Starting monitor gui macro"

6) Start the event display macro. See section "Starting event display macro"

How to Use Online Monitoring

1) To view a histogram two buttons needed to be pushed (in any order).

a) The object you want to view e.g. A particular sensor, or string

b) What you want to see for that object e.g. RawADC spectra, Noise.

an X will appear on the button pushed.

2) If buttons currently implimented histogram will be displayed in a separate window. For currently implimented buttons see Section "Currently Implemented Buttons"

3) To view other histogram(s), push approriate button(s).

4) To exit hit "Exit" button.

How to Restart Online Monitoring

If the Monitor Gui freezes and needs to be restarted:

1) Click the exit button on the Gui

2) Restart the gui by typing phat monitor_gui.C at the prompt

If the Monitor Grabber needs to be restarted (it is running currently) before the run ends:

1) Go to the Monitor Grabber (blue) window and type Crtl-C

2) Type .q at the ROOT prompt

3) Type phat monitor_grabber.C

If the Monitor Grabber needs to be restarted and is not running :

1) Type .q at the ROOT prompt

2) Type phat monitor_grabber.C

How to End Online Monitoring

Description: When the run is ended by the DAQ, the grabber macro will save appropriate histograms (Not yet implimented) and end. The GUI should be exited by user.

1) At end of run "MONITOR GRABBER" window (blue) should display prompt "root [#]"

2) Type : .q <ENTER>

3) In MONITOR GUI window hit "Exit" button.

How to Create GIFs at the End of Run

When a run ends in which the monitor grabber was running, perform the following steps to make GIFs from the saved histogram:

1) Go to an xterm (or create one if one doesn't exist - click the penguin). DO NOT USE ANY OF THE COLORED (pink, blue or green) WINDOWS FOR MAKING GIFS!

2) cd /home/online/phobos

3) Type phat

4) At the ROOT prompt, type .x MakeGif.C(runnumber), where runnumber corresponds to the lastest one. Example: .x MakeGif.C(773)

5) When the program finishes, type .q at the prompt

6) Check the web to see if the pictures updated

How to Login to Online Machine

The username is "shift". The password is the normal PHOBOS password.

How to Logout from Online Machine

To logout from the Online Machine, locate the control bar (usually in the lower left-hand corner). Click on the stop light. Answer yes to logout.

Making Monitor Grabber Control Window

1) Open an xterm (click on the peguin on the control bar) or use an existing window. The following prompt will appear: [shift@phonl1 ~]$

2) Create the Monitor Grabber control window. At prompt type: grabberwin <ENTER>

3) In the new window(blue one) type: cd phobos <ENTER>

4) The following prompt will appear: [shift@phonl1 ~/phobos]$

Making Monitor Gui Control Window

1) Open an xterm (click on the peguin on the control bar) or use an existing window. The following prompt will appear: [shift@phonl1 ~]$

2) Create the Montior Gui control window. At prompt type: displaywin <ENTER>

3) In the new window (red one) type: cd dispdir <ENTER>

4) The following prompt will appear: [shift@phonl1 ~/dispdir]$

Making Event Display Control Window

1) Open an xterm (click on the peguin on the control bar) or use an existing window. The following prompt will appear: [shift@phonl1 ~]$

2) Create the Event Display control window. At prompt type: evtdisplaywin <ENTER>

3) In the new window (green one) type: cd evtdispdir <ENTER>

4) The following prompt will appear: [shift@phonl1 ~/evtdispdir]$

Starting Monitor Grabber Macro

Description: The monitor grabber macro "grabs" events from the DAQ, processes them (pedestal, CMN subtraction, hit calculation etc), and then fills the appropriate histograms, and puts them into "shared memory". It does not display the histograms this is done by another macro (See "Starting Monitor Gui Macro").

1) Open window called "MONITOR GRABBER" (blue window). If does not exist go to section "Making Monitor Grabber Control Window".

2) At prompt "[shift@phonl1 ~/phobos]$" type: phat monitor_grabber.C <ENTER>

3) At prompt "Beam Trigger: " answer either 0 (all triggers) or 1 (beam only)

4) At prompt "Run Number (>1)" type: <Run Number> <ENTER>

To find the current run number either a) look at the runlog on web b) use the DAQ comand (see DAQ documentation)

5) You have successfully started the grabber macro if the window cycles with text information.

Starting Monitor Gui Macro

Description: The monitor gui macro launches a display GUI (Graphical User Interface) window. This window has buttons which enable the user to select which histogram(s) the user wants to view.

1) Open window called "MONITOR GUI" (red window). If does not exist goto section "Making Monitor Gui Control Window".

2) At prompt "[shift@phonl1 ~/dispdir]$" type: phat monitor_gui.C <ENTER>

3) You have successfully started the monitor gui macro if a new window pops up with buttons on it.

4) Do not start pressing buttons on the gui until the information in the "MONITOR GUI" window finishes scrolling.

Starting Event Display Macro

Description: The event display macro launches a display GUI (Graphical User Interface) window. This window has buttons which enable the user to select which event histogram(s) the user wants to view as well as displaying the hits on each sensor for each event. The GUI allows the user to view a event one at a time.

1) Open window called "EVENT DISPLAY" (green window). If does not exist go to section "Making Event Display Control Window".

2) At prompt "[shift@phonl1 ~/evtdispdir]$" type: phat event_display.C <ENTER>

3) At prompt "Run Number (>1)" type: <Run Number> <ENTER>

To find the current run number either a) look at the runlog on web b) use the DAQ comand (see DAQ documentation)

4) You have successfully started the event display macro if a new window pops up with buttons on it, entitled

"Phobos event display grabber".

Currently Implimented Buttons

Silicon Sensor based (Event-by-Event histogram for the Vertex and Spectrometer sensors are non-functional):

        ADC spectra (zerosuppressed, cumulative)
        Hits(cumulative)
        Raw ADC vs channel (Event by Event)
        Pedestal vs channel (Event by Event)
        Noise vs channel (Event by Event)
        Raw ADC-Pedestal vs channel (Event by Event)
        Common Mode Noise vs chip (Event by Event)
        ADC-Pedestal-CMN vs channel (Event by Event)

FEC/String based (FEC's 1, 2 and 3):

        Raw ADC vs channel (Event by Event)
        Pedestal vs channel (Event by Event)
        Noise vs channel (Event by Event)
        Raw ADC-Pedestal vs channel (Event by Event)
        Common Mode Noise vs chip (Event by Event)
        ADC-Pedestal-CMN vs channel (Event by Event)

Plastic (currently just Paddle) Sensor based:

        ADC spectra (cumulative)
        TDC spectra (cumulative)
        ADC no TDC (cumulative)
        TDC no ADC (cumulative)

TOF
ADC vs Slat (topand bottom, cumulative)
TDC vs Slat (top and bottom, cumulative)

Overview:

        Silicon (raw ADC and pedestal subtracted ADC)
        Paddle Counters (Pedestal subtracted ACD and TDC)
        ZDC (Pedestal subtracted ACD and TDC)

Others:

        Distribution of Trigger Bits
        Paddle Event-by-Event
        ZDC Event-by-Event

Frequently Asked Questions:

Qu: Does the online monitor grabber need to be started before /after the DAQ?

Ans: The online monitor grabber should be started after the run has started.

Qu: If the online monitor grabber crashes etc during run what should I do?

Ans: Restart the online monitor grabber and monitor gui as above. You don't need to restart the run.

In worst case, exit running programs and start again.

Qu: What happens when a run ends? And another is started?

Ans: When a run ends, the online monitor grabber will automatically stop. See "How to End Online Monitoring".

Then restart run when DAQ run started.

Qu: Should I run online during pedestal and calibration taking runs?

Ans: No

Qu: If I see a big yellow "X" on the monitor gui program, what should I do?

Ans: Exit the program and restart. If problem persits, shut gui down again. When you bring it back up, be very slow and deliberate in pressing the buttons.

Qu: If the overview histogram freezes, what should I do?

Ans: Exit the Monitor Gui and restart it. See "How to Restart Online Monitoring"

Qu: If the plots do not appear to be updating, what should I do?

Ans: First, look at Event Number (yellow) canvas. If this is not updating (event number not changing) and the Monitor Grabber window shows cycling events, restart the Monitor Grabber and restart the Monitor Gui. See "How to Restart Online Monitoring"

Qu: Why do the Event-by-Event sensor based histograms for the Vertex sensor cause the Gui to crash?

Ans: This problem is being investigated, please refrain from using them until further notice.

Contacting Online Group

The current onsite coordinator for online monitoring can now be beeped. Our beeper number is 7605. To reach us:

1) Dial x3456 and wait for the beep

2) Dial x7605 and wait for the beep

3) Dial in your number

For leaving suggestions, send email to the online group by doing the following:

1) Start an xterm (or create one if one doesn't exist - click the penguin) or use an existing one.

2) Start up pine

3) Send mail to online

Authors of Documentation:

Nigel George and Michael Reuter