Communication Software for the ALICE Detector Control System at CERN

The book describes the development and implementation of theFront-End-Electronicscommunication software (FeeCom). FeeCom isused in the Detector Control System (DCS) of various detectors inALICE, one of the experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) atCERN. It is divided into a detector-independent and -specific part,in order to adapt easily to different detectors. The tasks ofFeeCom are to exchange data between sensors and actuators, placedon embedded systems, and their Control-PCs. Monitored values (liketemperatures) are committed from the embedded systems to thecontrol layer; in the vice versa direction data for configuring therelated hardware are transferred. Checksums take care of safeoperations. FeeCom integrates the field devices into ALICE DCS, avital system to steer this particle accelerator experiment. Forconnecting the different parts FeeCom uses DIM a framework wellsuited for heterogeneous system environments with limited resourcesand high performance tasks. A major focus has been put on safetyand efficiency aspects. The book is aimed for scientists andsoftware engineers working in the field of designing detectors forlarge scale research projects.