Index of /hippolyt/Online/ RTS-Online Shift Memo

  Star Home Page   Online Web Server   Offline QA Web Page

Note: important thing is in purple, where to click is in red.
Getting Started
During the run
After the run
Load and check a former run
Getting Troubles

  Getting Started: 


The Online QA (OnQA) is supposed to be done from rts01.starp.bnl.gov located just between the trigger desktop (startrg.starp.bnl.gov) and the run time system one (rts02.starp.bnl.gov). The OnQA needs two main windows:

- the "STAR EVP Client" (SEC) window;
- the "STAR Histograms presenter" (SHP) window.
So be sure these two windows are available on the aforementioned machine.

If not:
(check all the desktops), click on the "EventPool" icon (Panitkin Plots), then select "Run in terminal" which should make them pop up.

- connect the SEC to the event pool by clinking on the SEC "LIVE" button (Connect subwindow);
- connect the SHP by clinking on the SHP "LINK" button (top left Connect subwindow);
Doing this, histograms related to the next event will be displayed on the SHP window;
- start the SEC by clinking on the SEC "START" button in the Event Loop Controls subwindow;
Doing this, the "LIVE" button becomes blue which means that the SEC waits for a new event available as soon as the daq delivers it in the event pool.
If everything is ok, the SEC should be as following:



  During the run: 

When a run is being taken, the SEC "LIVE" buttons becomes green, the Status shows "Run in progress" and the current run number is automatically updated. The SEC should be as following:


The SHP fullfills sets of histograms corresponding to Trigger, DAQ, L3 and detectors;
One is able to check each subdetector selecting the correct page on the SHP;
Contact the detector operator or the detector expert if something seems to be wrong;
Detector experts are invited to send comments and information about their related sub-detector histograms in order to fullfill the following section;

-   Description of the TOF histograms;
-   Description of the FTPC histograms;
-   Description of the SSD histograms;

Next is an example of how the first page looks like after a while:

If you need to print the plots right away:
- use the SEC "Event Loop Control" panel to Stop the run.
- choose an option in the SHP (either Create PS and save PDF Files in DBase or Save and Print PS (No DBase) or ...).
- be ready for next run with clicking on the Start of the the SEC "Event Loop Control" panel.


  After the run: 


Once the current run is ended, the SEC "LIVE" is blue again and the status shows "Run ended".
Then:

- save and print the histograms using the File menu of the SHP window then the Save and Print PS File ;
- the SEC is ready and wait for the next run present in the event pool.

  Load and check a former run: 

It can be usefull to have a look at a former run and check if, for example, a subdetector shows a different behaviour during two following runs or if it looks like there is something wrong and you want to be sure it was not like that the run before.

- stop the connection of the SEC to the event pool by clicking on the SEC "STOP" button (the status of the run becomes "Stopped");
- open the file browser using the SEC "FILE" button;
- choose the run in selecting the corresponding directory (usually in Root/a/) then click on "Open";
- the Source of the SEC Event Loop Controls exhibits the path of the run whereas the Status shows "Ready";
- click on the SEC "START" button to load the chosen run;
- the Status becomes "Connecting" during one second then "Run in progress";
- once the check is done (Status: Run ended), click on the SEC "STOP" button in the Event Loop Controls subwindow;
- clear the histograms pads by clicking on the "Reset" Button in the Histograms subwindow of the SEC;
- re-connect the SEC to the event pool to wait for the next run using the SEC "LIVE" button then "START".


  Getting Trouble: 

Note: commands are in green.

Mainly, one can have problems with running RTS-Online because of two reasons:

- "multiple processes problem";
- "disc space problem".

In the first case, it happens that multiple processes corresponding to the RTS-Online are runned simultaneously on rts01.starp.bnl.gov .
Usually, as a consequence, the display is frozen or when you double-click on the "EventPool" icon, only one window pops up.
Then one should kill the windows (please use the top left "FILE" then "Exit" of both the SHP and SEC) AND check all the processes are correctely killed:

- ssh evp.starp.bnl.gov as operator (Check the password which should be on the screen or ask the shift leader);
- ps -ef | grep operator and check no test_gui.exe and test_3.exe are present (kill -9 jobId if necessary);
- restart as described above.

For the second kind of trouble, it is possible not enough disc space is available.
Because of that, one cannot save the current histograms. Follow the steps below to free some space:

- ssh evp.starp.bnl.gov as operator;
- df -k and check for critical space (%) in the /home/ and /aa/ partition.
- if necessary, cd online and remove (rm) test_gui.root, test_3.root as well as test_gui.err and test_3.err;
- restart as described above.


Comments are welcome !!
[   ]Hippolyte Boris