Information Systems and
Data Acquisition for ATLAS
What was achieved
Conditions DB
This team continues to consolidate its position within the ATLAS Trigger and
Data Acquisition (TDAQ) group, in all areas it holds responsibilities. We
emphasize the achievements in the TDAQ databases, the First Level
Trigger (FLT) electronics, and Calibration and Alignment studies
KTIDBExplorer/NODE
The team
We’ve participated in the ATLAS TDAQ Large Scale Tests and in the Inner Detector’s
Alignment effort
We’ve initiated the development of the Temporal Instrumental Database (TIDB2) – a
database C++ API for managing Interval of Validity (IOV) data, which uses a plug-in system to
interface with several DBMSes (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, COOL) and data types (BUFR,
GRIB, ROOT)
We’ve created a KDE/Qt-based browser (KTIDBExplorer) for database navigation. It uses
TIDB2 for DBMS interface and its own plug-ins for visualization of extended data types, and will
be the base of the
We’ve created the Online Asynchronous Interface to COOL (ONASIC), the successor to the
TDAQ Online Conditions interface to log all information from the running Online system to the
ATLAS Configuration Database
We’ve developed the OKS2COOL tool – an interface between the Configuration Database
(OKS) and ATLAS’s Main Database (COOL)
We’ve developed, tested and validated the Local Trigger Processor Interface Module
hardware electronics
We’ve designed a Local Trigger Processor Interface Module (LTPIM) prototype and the VHDL
codes for the full VME slave interface and module control
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Helmut Wolters
Amélia Maio
Jaime Villate
LIP- Coimbra
LIP
FEUP
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António Amorim
João Simões
João Batista
Lourenço Lopes
José Augusto
FCUL
Marta Brandão
Guiomar Evans

Diogo Caracinha
Belmiro Pinto
Paulo Pereira
Ricardo Neves
This team will maintain its
decisive contribution to the
advancement of knowledge
in the domain of the
information systems for
HEP experiments, and will
solidify its role in the
necessary developments for
the success of the ATLAS
experiment
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Diploma theses:
 Tiago Franco, “Generalização da interface BDs temporais CondDB com base na tecnologia Oracle”. Departamento de Informática da Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia.
Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2005.
 Dinis Klose, “O desenvolvimento da 'ATLAS Conditions Database' e a sua generalização ao processo de dados técnico-científicos com evolução temporal”. Departamento de Física da
Faculdade de Ciências. Universidade de Lisboa, 2004.
 Nuno Barros, “Database systems to manage time varying data in High Energy Physics – a case study report”. Departamento de Física da Faculdade de Ciências.
Universidade de Lisboa, 2005.
ONASIC
ONASIC
IS
IS2OKS
OKS
OKS2COOL
Oracle
COOL
MySQL
TIDB2
OKS2TIDB2
PostgreSQL
“Controller”
Publications in refereed scientific journals:
 J. Vermeulen et al. (incl. António Amorim, Nuno Barros, Dinis Klose). “ATLAS DataFlow: the Read-Out Subsystem, Results from Trigger and Data-Acquisition System Testbed Studies
and from Modeling”. 14th IEEE-NPSS Real Time Conference 2005 Nuclear Plasma Sciences Society (RT2005), Stockholm, Sweden, Junho 2005 – 6 pgs.
 S. Gadomski et al. (incl. A. Amorim, N. Barros, D. Klose). “Deployment and use of the ATLAS DAQ in the Combined Test Beam”. In: 14th IEEE-NPSS Real Time Conference 2005
Nuclear Plasma Sciences Society (RT2005), Stockholm, Sweden, Junho 2005 – 5 pgs.
 D. Liko et al. (incl. A. Amorim, N. Barros, D. Klose, L. Pedro). “Control in the ATLAS TDAQ System”. In: 14th IEEE-NPSS Real Time Conference 2005 Nuclear Plasma Sciences Society
(RT2005), Stockholm, Sweden, Junho 2005.
 Nuno Barros, António Amorim, Richard Hawkings, Tiago Franco, Dinis Klose, Luis Pedro. “The ATLAS experience with databases for strutured data with temporal and hierarchical
order”. 14th IEEE – NPSS Real Time Conference 2005 Nuclear Plasma Sciences Society RT2005, Stockholm, Sweden, Junho 2005.
 A. Amorim, J. Lima, L. Pedro, D. Klose, C. Oliveira, N. Barros. “An implementation for the ATLAS conditions data management based on relational DBMSs”. IEEE Transactions on
Nuclear Science (2004), vol. 51, issue 3, pg. 591-595.
 I. Alexandrov et al. (incl. A. Amorim, D. Klose, J. Lima, L. Lucio, M. Mineev, L. Pedro, H. Wolters). “Online software for the ATLAS test beam data acquisition system”. IEEE Transactions
on Nuclear Science (2004), vol. 51, issue 3, pg. 578-584.
Conference communications (submitted):
LCG application area
 D. Carachinha, F. Farthouat, P. Gallno, J. Soares Augusto, G. Evens, A. Amorim. “Local Trigger Processor Interface Module”, 12th Workshop on Electronics for LHC and future
Experiments, 2006.
 D. Caracinha, P. Farthouat, A. Amorim, J. Augusto. “Resolução da sobreposição de muões para a experiência ATLAS/CERN”. Jornadas sobre Sistemas Reconfiguráveis (REC2005).
Universidade do Algarve, Fevereiro de 2005.
 A. Amorim. "PAIPIX: a live DVD Linux based on DEBIAN/KNOPPIX with special emphasys on scientific packages including ROOT.". ROOT2005 workshop, Geneva, Switzerland,
September 2005.
 J. Simões, A. Amorim, R. Neves. "TIDB, an investigating the interface between object structures for scientific data and relational database features.”. ROOT2005 workshop, Geneva,
Switzerland, September 2005.
Calibration & Alignment
Internal notes:
 “Large Scale Functionality and Performance Tests July 2005”. LST05, Geneva, Switzerland, June/July 2005.
What is proposed
ATLAS Databases:
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Our software, developed for
ATLAS, is part of the LCG
persistent framework
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Open Source software
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Test and validate ONASIC in the context of the TDAQ Online system and Configuration
Databases, and integrate in the TDAQ online software bundle
Develop the Online Objects Extended Database Browser (NODE), based on KTIDBExplorer
– a TDAQ Monitoring Working Group tool for navigating COOL tables and displaying ROOT
histograms
Test and validate OKS2COOL – the interface between the Configuration and Main ATLAS
databases, in the context of the Configuration Database group
Develop a software tool (“Controller”) to perform stress tests on Offline Databases
Research on a database interface for general scientific data objects (TIDB2). The task is
conducted locally but reported to the ATLAS online database group
First Level Trigger hardware electronics:
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Complete test, validation and documentation of the LTPIM including combined tests with ATLAS
test beam
LVL1 electronics
Muon Central Trigger
Calibration and Alignment:
We use standard GNU tools
for a portable development
strategy. We aim to make our
applications reusable in any
environment and platform
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Participation in the study and validation of the Calibration and Alignment strategies for the
ATLAS detector, namely the Inner Detector calibration stream. We seek to obtain Calibration
and Alignment constants in 24 hours, to be used in the first-pass reconstruction
LTPIM
Database access
Necessary resources
Human resources:
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Ongoing: 2 BI (M.Sc.) + 4 BTI (Lic./Bach.)
Required: 1 BPD
Missions:
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DCS
Athena
TDAQ
Participation at congresses (ATLAS T/DAQ, FLT, Databases)
Short-term stays; participation at conferences
Equipment:
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Computer hardware and network infrastructure (Gb switch) and farm upgrade
Electronics development hardware