Overview of Fermi National Accelerator Lab Control System

Abstract

Various facets of the control of the Fermilab accelerators, in particular the Tevatron, are presented. Since Fermilab contains a superconducting machine and a sophisticated injection complex, much of the controls functionality will of necessity be the same at the SSC. The various functions required at a large laboratory are discussed; these include computer-based fire and security alarms and a cable television system, as well as computer networks connected to accelerator hardware components. A description is given of that hardware, of which much is Camac but with considerable computer backplane bus equipment also present. A large fraction of the controls hardware has access to high precision real-time clocks. Our various networks are introduced, with the physical layer being a combination of copper and more modern optic cables, with the primary intercomputer link being Token Ring. A description of the computers is presented - basically these consist of operators’ consoles, host VAXs, and link driving front ends. The software effort is detailed, with emphasis on consoles and microprocessors where the majority of effort has been placed. Future plans for the system are presented briefly.

Operated by Universities Research Association, Inc. under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy