Software framework developed for the slice test of the ATLASend cap muon trigger system

T.Maeno, K.Hasuko, H.Kano, Y.Matsumoto,Y.Nakamura,H.Sakamoto, ICEPP,University of Tokyo

C.Fukunaga, Y.Ishida, S.Komatsu, K.Tanaka, TokyoMetropolitanUniversity,

M.Ikeno, O.Sasaki, K.Nakayoshi, Y.Yasu, KEK

M.Totsuka,Y.Hasegawa, ShinshuUniversity,

K.Mizouchi, S.Tsuji, KyotoUniversity,

R.Ichimiya,H.Kurashige, KobeUniversity,

Abstract

A sliced system of the ATLAS end cap muon level 1 trigger has been constructed and tested. We have developed a software framework for property and run controls of the system. As we have built a similar structure to both theproperty database described in XML for the system components and their configuration control program, we could obtain a simple and consistent software system. The system is described in C++ throughout. The multi-PC control system is accomplished using the CORBA system. In this report we discuss the present system in detail and future extension to be done for integration with the ATLAS online framework.

Summary

We develop electronics for the ATLAS end-cap muon level 1 trigger system. Most of the electronics components have been ready with their first prototype version. Recently we have constructed a small sliced system using these prototype components, though the system itself contains all the functionalities required as one of the ATLAS level 1 system.

The system consists of three major parts; the trigger decision logic, readout, and control parts. The trigger and readout parts are partitioned further into three layers. The first layer for the trigger and readout are installed in the same electronics module, which is called as PS pack. The PS pack will be installed in the actual experiment just behind muon chambers. Except this module, all other electronics are installed as VME modules. We have used four VME crates for housing these modules in which all the VME crate connects with each ownLinux-PC with PCI-VME bus I/F of SBS Bit3. One crate is occupied with programmable pulse pattern generators, which emulates chamber output signals of total 256 channels. The signal pattern set for these modules are specified by the trigger simulation program developed dedicatedly for the end-cap muon level 1 system for the logic debugging.

We have developed a serious program based on a strict object oriented manner in order to control even such a tiny system as this sliced one because we can use it in every phase of the hardware development if we develop a software system legitimately and consistently from the beginning.

Multiple PCs are used in the system, and any one of them will control modules locally installed in its connected VME crate or ones remotely in other crate. The software system is technically based on CORBA to achieve uniform module controls regardless of local or remote environment. The hardware control part is used to configure FPGAs and registers in front-end ASICs in JTAG protocol. This control system is also used to watch single event upsets in FPGAs and should immediately recover them by reconfiguring the bitmap data if it detects any. Thus one of the requirements for the software framework is to supervise this control part efficiently in addition to trigger and readout controls.

The slice test is aimed to debug the hardware design of the entire system in detail, and evaluate performance of the final system as precise as possible. The system must be tested with thousands of hardware test configurations to cast possible flawsunrevealed yet. The software system should, therefore, modify the test configuration quickly and launch a new runas fast as possible. The software design and the structure of a database to keep properties of the components must be consistent with each other to achieve speedy configuration control and to facilitate the future hardware modification. Wedevelop a software framework, which closely follows the structure of the property database written in XML by introducing a common hierarchical object design. A GUI system is used to connect the database and software system organically and properly.

In the presentation we would like to introduce our software/database design to fulfill all the requirements for the sliced system test and show a consistent approach for the extension of the software system to be controlled with the ATLAS online framework.