History: GEnDocEpics

{file name=README desc="EPICS README" page="README"}
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This file: ~a-onl/scripts/README
Bob Michaels, Jan 2004

An experienced careful person from the experiment
may modify the following scripts. Do NOT modify
any other scripts (you could cause trouble).

* epicsLogger -- logs EPICS info into datastream "slowly"
(a large list of info every ~30 sec)
* fastEpicsLogger -- similar to epicsLogger but smaller list and faster updates. Don't make this a huge list.
* epicsRunStart -- halog's EPICS info at the start of a run.
* epicsRunEnd -- halog's the EPICS info at the end of a run.
* runstart.tcl -- start of run TCL window, called by epicsRunStart
* runend.tcl -- end-of-run TCL window, called by epicsRunEnd
* halla_scaler_process.tcl -- produces the end-run scaler info for halog, called by runend.tcl

Hints:

# Preferably only ONE person should be changing these scripts, at the spokespersons request. That one person should be at least careful, and preferably experienced.
# Save older versions until you are confident of your changes.
# Some older versions are in the ./save* directories (with dates in the name). These may provide useful hints on for example going back to coincidence mode, or putting in the helium target (or whatever).
# Changing any other script (i.e. a script not in the above list) could cause harm to the DAQ. Be careful !
# Be sure to run the script interactively by hand before declaring victory. If you don't know how to test this, then you don't satisfy criteria #1 (experienced person).
# The end-of-run scripts must run reasonably fast (less than 10 sec). Every wrong EPICS variable leads to a timeout of 1 sec. Also, you probably don't need a million variables at the end of a run. The CODA end-run waits for this script, then does a process cleanup. In contrast, the CODA start-run does not wait, it puts the start-run script in the background, so it can be slow.
# How do I know what EPICS variables and EPICS_CA_ADDR_LIST ? Ask the person who created them ! And be sure to test the scripts to avoid long timeouts from wrong variables.
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