VACA - Virtual Accelerator with Channel Access

A virtual accelerator implemented with EPICS channel access, for testing high level machine applications (HLA).

V1.5.0

This version was used until Jan. 2018, when Sirius sunsystems started being integrated and HLA could be tested using real hardware.

V2.0.0

This is a ressurect version of VACA that employs the current state of sirius' python packages, as they are being used in sirius control system.

dependencies (repos):

• siriuspy: https://github.com/lnls-sirius/dev-packages
• mathphys: https://github.com/lnls-fac/mathphys
• lnls: https://github.com/lnls-fac/lnls
• pymodels: https://github.com/lnls-fac/pymodels/tree/vaca-ilsf
• pyaccel: https://github.com/lnls-fac/pyaccel/tree/fix-optics
• trackcpp: https://github.com/lnls-fac/trackcpp
• csconst: https://github.com/lnls-sirius/control-system-constants
• hla: https://github.com/lnls-sirius/hla/tree/fix-ps-windows-prefix

Installation

To install va python package and vaca-ioc.py script in the system, run ./setup.py develop or ./setup.py install. A web server should be running in order to provide static data files for VACA. Files from control-system-constants repository should be located in the top of the web server public folder.

Running VACA

• Environment variable SIRIUS_URL_CONSTSshould be set to point to the web server top URL. (for example, export SIRIUS_URL_CONST=https://127.0.0.1).
• Run vaca-ioc.py --pvs: this will save PV files in the local folder. PVs being served with VACA can be looked up in these files.
• One can select set of accelerator models to be used with environment variable LAB_PREFIX. It is overriden with command line option --lab. For example, vaca-ioc.py --lab ilsf
• Some PV have simulated readout fluctuations. Update frequency [Hz] can be set with env variable VACA_UPDATE or argument --update. Default value is 5 Hz.

Virtual machine

Currently timing subsystem is broken. No timing device/PV is available. Consequently the injection process is not working. But fake PVs (for VA-Control devices) were implemented to add beam currents to circular accelerators. Beam position readouts are working, as well as magnet power supplies current settings. '' is the standard PV prefix. It can be overridden with VACA_PREFIX env variable. A '-' is postpended to the prefix so that VACA_PREFIX='VA' with generate PV names that start with VA-. Env variable VACA_PREFIX is overridden by VACA command line option --prefix.

Examples on how to interact with the virtual machine:

Adding beam current to rings:

• To read beam current in booster: caget VA-BO-35D:DI-DCCT:Current-Mon
• To add 10 mA beam current to booster: caput VA-BO-Glob:VA-Control:BeamCurrentAdd-SP 10
• To read beam current in booster (with beam): caget VA-BO-35D:DI-DCCT:Current-Mon
• To read a beam position in the booster: caget VA-BO-01U:DI-BPM:PosX-Mon
• To set 0.2 A to a 3 GeV booster corrector power supply: caput VA-BO-01U:PS-CH:Current-SP 0.2
• To read a beam position in the booster (after kick): caget VA-BO-01U:DI-BPM:PosX-Mon
• To add 10 mA beam current to ring (fake): caput VA-SI-Glob:VA-Control:BeamCurrentAdd-SP 10
• To read beam current in ring (with beam): caget VA-SI-13C4:DI-DCCT:Current-Mon
• To read beam position in the ring: caget VA-SI-01M2:DI-BPM:PosX-Mon
• To set 0.1 A to a ring corrector power supply: caput VA-SI-01M2:PS-CH:Current-SP 0.1
• To read beam position in the ring (after kick): caget VA-SI-01M2:DI-BPM:PosX-Mon

Injecting:

• To configure injection for buckets 10, 11 and 12: caput -a VA-AS-RaMO:TI-EVG:BucketList-SP 3 10 11 12

• To set bucketlist repeat number to 0 (repeat indefinitely): caput VA-AS-RaMO:TI-EVG:RepeatBucketList-SP 0

• To set bucketlist repeat number to 1: caput VA-AS-RaMO:TI-EVG:RepeatBucketList-SP 1

• To start injection: caput VA-AS-RaMO:TI-EVG:InjectionEvt-Sel Enbl

• To quit VACA: caput VA-AS-Glob:VA-Control:Quit-Cmd 1