# Presentation: 028584

## Introduction

- Torre Wenaus
- BNL
- May ‘99 STAR Computing Meeting
- BNL
- May 24, 1999

## Recent & Expected Arrivals 

- New member of the core BNL computing team:
**Mei-Li Chen**, online developer
- From U Maryland  (Super-K, Milagro)
- Very experienced online/DAQ expert
- Has online event pool interface to DAQ working for full events over socket connection
- Systems support hire (online systems; general computing infrastructure) expected soon (...?)

- STAR Computing Meeting 5/99

- Torre Wenaus, BNL

## Status

- Infrastructure stabilized!
- The train has pulled into the station, so people can catch up!
- Core group now in ‘consolidation’ mode and focusing on commissioning run essentials
- Bug fixing, documentation, examples, help with online integration, online monitoring needs, developing and responding to QA
- Online system pre-production release
- Run control; subsystem control,configuration, slow control
- Essential components of the system now in place
- Near term production plan
- StMcEvent tests, peripheral signal and backgd, strangeness AuAu steady production, spectra AuAu
- Ongoing production with simu data to
- meet PWG needs; exercise and debug codes; perform QA; keep CRS well oiled (CRS became functional again Friday)
- of course second priority to real data when it comes!

- STAR Computing Meeting 5/99

- Torre Wenaus, BNL

## Working with StEvent: doEvents.C

- doEvents.C
- Standard means of reading DST files and feeding them to StEvent based analysis
- Has handled XDF files OK, but hasn’t handled ROOT files properly up to now
- Needs to transparently handle all filetypes; shield distinctions from user. Victor now has this implemented.
- On Linux, all filetypes (MDC1 XDF, MDC2 XDF, MDC2 ROOT, post-MDC2 ROOT) work transparently. Still a problem on Solaris that Victor is working on
- Multiple files handled

- STAR Computing Meeting 5/99

- Torre Wenaus, BNL

## Using Persistent StEvent

- StAnalysisMaker changes:
- Remove ‘title’ (second parameter) from constructor
- #include StEvent/XXX.hh -> XXX.h
- Change method of event pointer retrieval:
- Former:
- StEventReaderMaker* evMaker = (StEventReaderMaker*) gStChain->Maker("events");
- if (! evMaker->event()) return kStOK; // If no event, we're done
- StEvent& ev = *(evMaker->event());
- New:
-   StEvent* mEvent = (StEvent *) GetInputDS("StEvent");
-   if (! mEvent) return kStOK; // If no event, we're done
-   StEvent& ev = *mEvent;

- STAR Computing Meeting 5/99

- Torre Wenaus, BNL

## This Meeting

- Joint online/offline focusing on real data readiness and the immediate needs of the commissioning run
- Data flow from DAQ to online, offline
- Online system status
- Processing of DAQ data in offline
- Event I/O, data cataloguing
- Conditions database
- Online monitoring
- Subsystem and global reconstruction for year 1 detectors
- RCF and production
- Current offline software in production, with people doing analysis QA on the results
- In this and subsequent weeks try to reproduce some of the very productive environment of MDC2

- STAR Computing Meeting 5/99

- Torre Wenaus, BNL

## Goals for Commissioning run environment

- - stable offline environment as seen by users
-   - Maker structure and interface stable. Changes affecting the user
-     beyond those already made post-MDC2 are not foreseen.
-   - StEvent as used by analysis codes has been stable; some functionality
-     additions
-   - adding persistency to StEvent while keeping it unchanged as seen
-     by analysis codes has (subject to wider testing) been successful
-     and so can serve as a basis for uDST development and StEvent
-     extension to reconstruction (something we hoped to achieve but
-     did not promise)
-          - needs discussion at this meeting
-   - macros/Makers provided to transparently handle all data file
-     types (XDF, MDC2 root files, new root files)

- STAR Computing Meeting 5/99

- Torre Wenaus, BNL

## Commissioning environment (2)

- - capability to process raw DAQ data
- - stably functional data storage
-   - post-MDC2 ROOT I/O improvements implemented in STAR address
-     deficiencies in standard ROOT I/O: robustness against partially
-     completed jobs, forward and backward read compatibility for
-     data files, robust management of multiple event components on
-     different files
-   - schema evolution approach of Victor has to be (if at all possible)
-     fitted into overall ROOT I/O; long discussions hopefully converging
-   - capabilities satisfy commissioning and year 1 needs
- - populated conditions database in use via stable interface

- STAR Computing Meeting 5/99

- Torre Wenaus, BNL

## RCF Issues

- CRS working again, as of yesterday, after long absence
- Manpower: supposed to plateau at 34 in ‘99. Actual: 23 (1 offer is out)
- CCD: 4 of 8; Experiments: 4 of 8
- MDC2 experience
- HPSS: similar level of problems to MDC1
- Stabler after fixes towards end of MDC, but still we see instability
- Latest version (4.1) installed; stress testing today.
- Disk: major access problems. NFS, AFS translator (Linux)
- Move to real AFS 3.5; supported on current Linux
- New CRS mgmt software: Major rewrite
- Better monitoring and user interaction, improved HPSS interaction; worked well. Adequate for year 1. LSF not needed in CRS.
- STAR program size!
- Linux 2.2 kernel installed; swap increased to ~2GB
- STAR CRS machines will all be 512MB (all CAS machines are 512)

- STAR Computing Meeting 5/99

- Torre Wenaus, BNL

## RCF Issues (2)

- STAR Executable size 512MB with all makers (tfs), 587MB (trs)
- Security issues
- RCF switched off STAR machine access to RCF disks for new machines
- Switching increasingly to AFS
- Have partial agreement with RCF to allow us access to data disks; needs to be made official by RCF and implemented
- Procurements
- New Linux (CRS,CAS), Sun (CAS), disk (all RAID), and MDS (drives, processors) procurements underway
- ADSM batch system June 8
- Validate migrated OSM data by then
- Will need people with data in OSM to do spot checks
- Details due from RCF

- STAR Computing Meeting 5/99

- Torre Wenaus, BNL

## Post Commissioning

- - extending data management tools (mysql DB + disk file management
-   + HPSS file management + multi-component ROOT files)
- - complete schema evolution, in collaboration with ROOT team
- - management of CAS processing and data distribution both for mining
-   and individual physicist level analysis
- - completion of the DB: integration of slow control as data source,
-   completion of online integration, implementation of DB as Geant
-   geometry data source, populating the DB for detectors other than
-   the TPC
- - extend and apply OO data model (StEvent) to reconstruction, so
-   new reconstruction development can work with StEvent
- - completion of online and the online processing farm for monitoring
- - improving QA tools and procedures
- - improving and better integrating visualization tools

- STAR Computing Meeting 5/99

- Torre Wenaus, BNL

## Post Commissioning (2)

- - reconstruction and analysis code development
-   directed at addressing QA results and year 1 code completeness
-   and quality
- following the priorities emerging from this meeting
- responding to the real-data outcomes of the commissioning run

- STAR Computing Meeting 5/99

- Torre Wenaus, BNL

## New Package Creation

- It is important to check in your code; submit your Makers as packages in the repository
- When bugs or changes affect existing code, we can identify the affected code
- Code sharing, collaboration, example for others, integration into QA, etc. etc.
- When HyperNews email is working again, will set up a forum for requesting and creating new packages
- Awareness and consultation on new package proposals

- STAR Computing Meeting 5/99

- Torre Wenaus, BNL

## Tutorials

- Wed (and Thurs?) am: presentation/discussion sessions as a group
- Followed by individuals or workgroups trying things out, with core computing people and experienced users sitting in and roaming the halls to help
- Wed am:
- Kathy on bfcread.C, histogram integration, general usage
- Writing analysis code and using StEvent
- Gene (and others..? Torre? Victor? Thomas? Craig Ogilvie?)
- Wed or Thurs am:
- Pavel on using GSTAR
- Fri am:
- Thomas on using UML and Rational Rose
- Fri pm:
- Issues that come up in the week?

- STAR Computing Meeting 5/99

- Torre Wenaus, BNL