Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
The Belle II e+/e− collider experiment at KEK will include a new pixelated detector (PXD) based on DEPFET technology as the innermost layer. This detector requires a complex control and readout infrastructure consisting of several ASICs and FPGA boards. This paper present the architecture and EPICS-based implementation of the control, alarm, and interlock systems, their interface to the various subsystems, and to the NSM2-based Belle II run-control. The complex startup sequence is orchestrated by a statemachine. CSS is used to implement the user interface. The alarm system uses CSS/BEAST, and is designed to minimize spurious alarms. The interlock system consists of two main parts: a hardware-based system that triggers on adverse environmental (temperature, humidity, radiation) conditions, and a software-based system. Strict monitoring including the use of heartbeats ensures permanent protection and fast reaction times. Especially the power supply system is monitored for malfunctions, and all user inputs are verified before they are sent to the hardware. The control system also incorporates archiving, logging, and reporting in a uniform workflow for the ease of daily operation.
For the DEPFET Collaboration.
Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
The Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) is a standardized interface to management functionalities of computer systems. The data provided typically includes the readings of monitoring sensors, such as fan speeds, temperatures, power consumption, etc. It is provided not only by servers, but also by uTCA crates that are often used to host an experiment's control and readout system. Therefore, it is well suited to monitor the health of the hardware deployed in HEP experiments. In addition, the crates can be controlled via IPMI with functions such as triggering a reset, or configuring IP parameters. We present the design and functionality of an EPICS module to interface to IPMI that is based on ipmitool. It supports automatic scanning for IPMI sensors and filling the PV metadata (units, meaning of status words in mbbi records) from the IPMI sensor information. Most importantly, the IPMI-provided alarm thresholds are automatically placed in the PV for easy implementation of an alarm system to monitor IPMI hardware.
For the DEPFET Collaboration.