Experiments at the ESRF Tango at beamlines

1. Experiments at the ESRFTango at beamlines Vicente Rey Bakaikoa Tango Workshop at DESY / 18 September 2007

2. 1. ESRF, Beamlines, BLISS2. Software for beamlines3. Future evolution4. Tango at beamlines

3. ESRF & Beamlines • 29 ESRF beamlines • 12 CRG’s

4. ESRF / Computing C.E. / Electronics development and support 13 SciSoft / Scientific Software 8 Digital Electronics 9 System Admin and Networks 15 Software Engineering Group 10 Management Information System 8 TBS / Experiments Division BLISS / Software development and support 18 Computing Services

5. BLISS Beamline Instrument Software Support 18 software engineers Giving service to ALL ESRF beamlines including CRG’s

6. BLISS developments Scope: From low-level drivers to data analysis / visualization as far as concerns the successful running of the experiments Four development areas: Hardware support software Graphical interfaces Automation projects Infrastructure software

7. BLISS / Support Beamline instrumentation projects: Participate to beamline instrumentation projects Small software developments Experiment macros Beamline specific GUI Software consulting / auditing Beamline support : installation and problem resolution

8. Beamline Control System

9. A brief history of experiment control system • Circa 1990 • Control choices: VME (os9) / HP + Sun • Taco development for accelerator control • 1994 • First beamlines open. Control system based on VME / Taco • SPEC used as main control program • 2001 • Modernization efforts • ID31 control uses only Linux • 2004 • BLISS graphical framework • Tango on beamlines • 2005-2007 • Automation efforts • Icepap, musst, frelon 2k, medipix • 2008+ : ESRF Upgrade program

10. …and there be light (at the beamlines) “In the beginning there was TACO & spec” TACO: Developed at the ESRF Objects in C. RPC communication. spec: Commercial program for diffractometer control And some other features… Early TACO client

11. Taco • Developed at the ESRF • Used also at : • FRM-II neutron source (Garching-Munich) • Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (South Africa). • Anka • Used massively at all ESRF beamlines: • 92 different servers distributed • 7000+ devices exported

12. spec Move, Count, Take data, Plot, and Save Built-in macro language Built-in code for diffractometers (kappa, fourc, sixc, surf, …) Configuration Many motor controllers, counter-timers, CCD, Mca’s integrated Generic I/O through CAMAC, VME, GPIB, Serial Line, Socket, Bus coupler and I/O ports • Pseudo motor/counter handling • Client / server mode over TCP/IP • TACO and epics • And also: • Data arrays with math. functionality • Statistics, fitting… • Interface to C user code • …

13. Experiment visualization / evaluation Standalone tools for visualization Should work both online or offline Applications that users can bring along with their data Emphasis on performance. Non-intrusive Evolution with time and technologies…

14. Graphical user interface BLISS Graphical Framework Editor Application Hardware Repository / Hardware Objects Bricks Hardware Repository module Hardware Objects pool Spec Spec Client Taco Tango DS Taco/Tango Poller Hardware Object GUI brick mxCuBE ID13 / Microfocus ID21

15. Automation Optics automation Beam delivery Mirror alignment Experiment and sample handling Mx data collection Automatic (EMBL) and assisted sample centring Data analysis Experiment annotation, book keeping Remote access

16. Handling software distribution RPM based Central database Manual / no automatic install Applications for: Creating packages / versions Beamline installations Web monitoring

17. The fun continues… …some challenges ahead

18. What beamline software in next years? Detector systems Beamline control evolution Nano: positioning, sample environment Graphical interfaces Automation projects Fast acquisitions Data: visualization, online analysis, large dataset handling Accrued beamline support

19. Detectors & Computing • Essential on upgrade program / cutting edge technologies • Commercialization / collaboration • CCD: • Growing size: Mar / ADSC • Growing speed: Sarnoff CCD / 1 tomography in 0.8s • 500 frames/sec = 150 MB/sec • Example: 75 frames / 40x slowdown • Pixel detectors • Maxipix ( 5 x 256 x 256 pixels) – ESRF - • 1000 frames / sec = 600 MB/sec • Expected limit: datalink / disk speed • Today • 500 frame / sec for 1 x 256 x 256 • Pilatus 6M ( 2400 x 2328 pixels ) – SLS/ PSI - • 2ms readout ~ 500 fr / sec = 5 GB/sec • Today: 20 frame / sec = 200 MB/sec • And more… Click to start Sarnoff demo

20. Detectors / and still more to come CMOS Photron Ultima 10 bits Example: 4000 fps Already tested at ID15 at 10000 fps (512 x 256) 2 Gb/sec

21. libccd First started by D.Fernandez Goal: Create a library to implement services for detector operation. These should include computer resources (memory, disk saving…), soft ROI’s, etc… Specific code for one detector should implement just basic access to the detector and declare to the library the functionalities that the hardware is able to handle Integration code will just have the same interface for all detectors through the libccd library. Device servers and low-level detector software should then be ‘libccd’ compliant, allowing for seamless integration of detectors with optimal functionality in any system: Tango but also EPICS or Tine or…. This is a call for partners

22. Beamline control evolution Issue Ensure the evolution of the beamline control system for constant modernization Follow up with functionalities offered by electronics developments Participate from/to developments in other European synchrotrons Software Evolution with linux kernels, hardware protocols. Consider embedded solutions Tango: participate to / profit of the advantages of the collaboration ID32 – psic diffractometer

23. Fast / Continuous Acquisitions Enabled by electronics Detectors with data buffering and near- zero readout ( kinetics, pixel, mca buffering…) Synchronization cards Intelligent motor controllers Synchronization + buffering From VCT6 synchronization to ISG suite: MUSST for signal synchronization Fully programmable features in Icepap Software must handle them Experiment sequences must be reconsidered 13-element detector 4xXIA DXP-XMAP

24. Data handling Visualization: multi-dimensional, virtual instruments Online analysis and experiment estimation Navigate through data Data formats and metadata Experiment databases

25. ESRF beamlines and

26. Tango usage statistics Beamlines:

27. Tango usage statistics Servers and devices:

28. Jive save and load server data very useful maybe missing a more instrument oriented configuration tool what about a template option for device properties? Pogo Cool. Also for Python generation Astor/Starter : not used. bliss_dserver instead Astor would be useful but it has no support for Taco ATK applications Jvacuum talks both Taco and Tango See for BLISS graphical framework instead Tango applications

29. Video Falcon, Prosilica, DirectShow and Ccd1394 (adapted class from CCD abstract class) All sharing code (bpm, jpeg coding) and implementation Other Python server: Lakeshore Pixium flat panel detector Server classes / Developed by BLISS

30. Tango and spec spec talks to Tango devices today through a Taco wrapper: Taco: esrf_io(‘id05/meteor/2’, ‘DevStatus’) Tango cmd: esrf_io(‘tango://katapum:10000/id05/falcon/1’, ‘DevStatus’) Tango attr: esrf_io(‘tango://katapum:10000/id05/falcon/1/status’, ‘DevRead’) attributes.mac to create pseudo counters or motors on tango attributes No events, error handling, attribute quality… No Tango classes accessed from spec C core ( but ccd classes accessed through server taco/tango wrapper)

31. Jvacuum Talks both Taco and Tango Uses ATK BLISS graphical framework Through PyTango Other clients

32. Experience with PyTango Qt & PyTango, framework… very nice But still: Improve handling of Device / Attribute proxies/factories Unsubscribe automatic when callback object destroyed More pythonic interface?

33. BLISS TANGO wish list Spec and tango • Integrating specific classes in spec ( CCD, Motor, etc…) • Exposure of Tango data types, error handling, attribute richness and events for C clients ( foreseen on plans for Tango 7.0) Experiment control system • Missing instrument oriented configuration tools • Knowledge of experiments missing Sharing • Sharing of classes in the collaboration is very limited. • Promote abstract classes is good. • Promote functional classes and libraries is REALLY good ( see for libccd, video (bpm, jpeg coding, etc..)

34. BLISS Tango to-do list Bring our classes to sourceforge Participate to: specification and implementation of tango+spec device pool

35. Tango + Batteries I had a dream… Get the Tango control system to know about beamline control Integrating in Tango the concepts of beamline control (positioning, acquisition, synchronization, experiment sequencing, services ) in a generic manner Get Tango to provide a ready to use system for final scientist users Through a generic beamline application Provide a configuration tool oriented to equipment / experiments Easy installation ( a lot of this in device pool project )

36. Conclusion Tango presence at ESRF beamlines is still small but it has a long life ahead Profit of the Tango collaboration to catalyze European collaboration on beamline control systems

37. Thank you