The Soft-IOC Based Alarm Handler – an Operations View

The Soft-IOC Based Alarm Handler – an Operations View

Pam Gurd

October 31, 2007

OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORYU. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

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Why?

Wanted to be able to incorporate alarm summaries in edm screens

And to call edm screens from alarm screens.


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What?

Set of scripts to create soft IOCs from alarm configuration files. A soft IOC is an EPICS IOC that runs on a Linux

server, usually with other soft IOCs.

The soft IOC alarm servers: cryo-ics-softioc2 – cryo alarms ics-srv-softioc3 – everything else


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Configuration Files

Alarms may be configured using old-style .alhConfig files or new .xml files. (but the .alhConfig file needs an .xml wrapper) (controls) Who is supposed to help operators

who want to change alarm configurations? (operations) Will somebody be in charge of

configuration control?


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edm Screens – Top Alarm Screen


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edm screens – Legend


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edm Screens – Top-Level Summary

Click in here for details (Alarm details or edm screen from system)

Click to change disable status

This icon includes current status, latch status, disable status and unmasked status. You can copy it to your own screen.


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Summary Screen

Note that this doesn’t include everything.

In particular, it doesn’t include HPRF.


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A Bit of Philosophy

3 kinds of status: Latch Operating status (as masked) Current Status

2 levels of masking 1-click “Ack” – until the alarm goes away 2-click “Disable” – until you click again (plus machine mode masking, which is

configured only in a few places) Alarms may be masked at any level.


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A bit about how things work

vxWorks IOCs

Alarm soft IOCs

ics-srv-softioc3 cryo-ics-softioc2

Soft IOC servers

PVs in these processors Are watching PVs in these processors

Which areconnected to reality


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A bit about how things work

Alarms come from PVs in the IOCs (usually vxWorks systems) Limit and severity settings are in the IOC

Fields like HIHI, HIGH, LOW, LOLO, HHSV, OSV must be saved in the IOC save/restore (or not changed) or they’ll be lost on IOC reboot.

Also, you need access to the IOC to change them.

Masks are part of the alarm handler The alarm soft IOC save file includes them automatically.


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edm Screens – Mid-Level Summary

Click for details (edm screen from system, if configured)

Click to change disable status

Here’s another icon you could copy to your own screen.

Click for alarm configuration details


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Top-Level Menu

(When you click on one of the system square icons)


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Alarm Logs

These are only for a specific system.


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Alarm Logs from Oracle

Get there from the Controls Web page, then “ROCS”, then “Alarm Logs”. Ask Katia for help with the query.


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edm Screens – Alarm Configuration

Different screens for different record types

Parameters in this area live in the alarm soft IOC.

Parameters in this area live in the vxWorks IOC.• You only have access if you have access to PVs in the vxWorks IOC.• They’re only saved and restored if they’re in the vxWorks IOC save request file.


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Configuration Details

Each summary or PV can have an associated edm display, edm menu or web page. But not very many are configured.

Each summary or PV can have a description.

Each summary can be automatically disabled based on machine mode.


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Compact Screen

Each little square represents an alarm PV. You can “Ack” an alarm by a single click, “Dis”able by a double click, identify it by a mouse-over, or get to a detail screen by a right click.

Similarly, you can control or display the summaries.


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New Alarms

The only “new” system is FE. I haven’t included that because it seems to have too many alarms to be useful.


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Future Developments

(Only one left, but it’s a biggie.)

Provide a way for Ops to do configuration and boot soft IOCs.

(Actually, there were also those requests about tree displays.)


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Before I forget everything

You can try calling me at 604-732-8374 (That’s NØ IS DavePG.)

But I might be busy…

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The Soft-IOC Based Alarm Handler – an Operations View