MIDAS

Installating the MIDAS Data Acquisition software

If you have not already done so obtain the MIDAS LyrTech Application package using the link on http://npg.dl.ac.uk/MIDAS/download/DataAcqApplications.html

Download the file and unzip it.
Extract to C:
This will create the directories C:\MIDAS and C:\MIDASHttpd

Also download and install any update file(s).

Install the MIDAS software

This has mostly been done before the zip archive was created.
The following tasks need to be done

a) Create a directory c:\temp

b) Use Notepad to edit c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts and add egmsg as an alias for localhost

c) Copy the file #.exe from C:\MIDAS\Win32\bin to C:\windows\system32 This does nothing more than create the command line program # which is a comment (do nothing)

d) Copy the files in C:\MIDAS\LyrTech\Desktop to C:\documents and settings\[id]\Desktop
Where [id] is the User ID you logged into Windows with (or copy and paste the files to your desktop).

Start the Data Acquisition services by double click on the MIDAS icon labelled System on the desktop.
The output will be as follows.

C:\MIDAS\Win32\bin>echo off
ShObjManager installed
MIDAS Message Logger: Starting the RPC interface
MIDAS Message Logger: Created RPC Program 28000240 Version 1 on UDP port 10240.
MIDAS Message Logger: Message Logger using directory c:\midas\log
MIDAS Message Logger: Entering server loop
Could Not Find c:\MIDAS\.shmemsas
Message logger contacted.
initMemSas: MemSASBlock.10230
Spectrum Access Server installed on port 10230
System identified is CPU intel; Platform is windows; OS is Windows NT and Version is 5.1
Environment selected is CPU x386; Platform windows; OS Win and Operating System Win
MIDASBASE = c:\MIDASHttpd\ and MIDASLIBRARY = c:/MIDASHttpd/TclHttpd/bin_Win
can't find package limit
Running with default file descriptor limit
/debug user "debug" password "k4gvpc uxabr"
httpd started on port 8015

Cannot use c:/MIDASHttpd/config/TclHttpd/NNLYRTECH4/startup.tcl
Cannot use c:/MIDASHttpd/config/TclHttpd/localhost/startup.tcl
custom startup for LyrTech hardware
This file is config/TclHttpd/startup.tcl
It should be customised with commands to load and run the Web services you require.
Look in the online documentation and the Samples directory for examples of these commands
/TimeServer
/NetVarService
/SigTaskService
VHSADC package 1.0.1
/VHSADC
/DataAcquisitionControlServer
/DataBaseAccessServer
/TapeServer
Completed custom startup from c:/MIDASHttpd/config/TclHttpd/startup.tcl

This starts the service programs MessageLogger.exe and ShObjManager.exe Unix/Linux treats Shared Memory as persistent. So if a program creates a Shared Memory object it will exist until deleted or the system is rebooted. Windows, however, will delete any Shared Memory objects created by a program when that program terminates. The Data Acquisition software uses Shared Memory to hold global data and parameters used by the DA system and these are required to persist for the duration of the session. The ShObjManager is used to actually create any Shared Memory areas needed by the DA software components and hence these will exist while the ShObjManager is running and after the program "creating" them (such as netint) has terminated.

It also starts the service program ShMemSAS.exe which will be the owner of all histograms created (in Shared memory) by the DA program. If the service task is terminated all histograms will be lost (unless you have prevously saved them to disc).

The LyrTech TclHttpd custom startup uses the file c:\MIDAS\config\TclHttpd\startup.tcl. If you have additional services such as the TDRI and/or ABC modules the startup for these will also appear.

You may iconise (miminise) the console window but do not close it unless you really wish to terminate the services. On the other hand closing the window is the easiest way to terminate the services.

Start the Data Acquisition program for LyrTech by double click on the MIDAS icon labelled RTDEXV4 on the desktop.
This will execute the following command file (or similar)

echo off
#
#    startup script for Windows XP system acting as a Data Acquisition server 
#
#    set environment variable which is the base  MIDAS directory
#    Note the trailing \ is in this case important!!

set MIDASBASE=c:\MIDAS\
cd %MIDASBASE%
#
PATH = %MIDASBASE%Data_Acq\bin\Win32;%MIDASBASE%Win32\bin;%PATH%
#
netstring TS_Server "193.62.115.191"
netint TS_Port 11004
#
netint Xfer_Option 3
netint Format_Option 4
netint Output_BufferSize 64
netint DACQ_UseGroup 1
#
# netint Xfer_Overlap 1
#
#    start the Data Acquisition program
netint DACQ_DataOption 1
netint DACQ_DebugMode3 0
netint DACQ_UseReadOutThreads 0

netint DACQ_SuppressTrace 0

VHSADC_RTDEXexecV4.exe
#

Format_Option 4 is GREAT format output.
DACQ_DataOption 1 enables RAW data buffers to be sent in the output data - this is for debugging purposes only and should normally be set to 0.
DACQ_UseReadOutThreads 0 causes a single TCP data stream to be generated when multiple LyrTech modules are in use. For best performance with the GREAT merge software set to 1. DACQ_SuppressTrace 1 causes trace data to be suppressed and not written to the output stream. As a result will also suppress trace histogram increments.

If you do not require to write the data output stream to a remote server then the two netstring commands which define TS_Server and TS_Port should be removed. Otherwise set the values to the location of the server you are using.

The output will be as follows.

C:\MIDAS\LyrTech\StartUp>echo off

VHSADC Data Acquisition Program Release 4.230709(RTDEX_ADP_4.0) starting

Creating NetVars
Output buffer length = 65504; format option = 4; transfer option = 3
NetVars created and initialised
Statistics thread created
Heartbeat thread created
Creating Signal Events
Creating Signal Events
Heartbeat thread starting

You may iconise (miminise) the console window but do not close it unless you really wish to terminate the Data Acquisition program. On the other hand closing the window is the easiest way to terminate the program if you wish to restart it.

Start the GUI by double clicking on the MIDAS icon labelled MIDAS on the desktop.

This is configured to run the LyrTech data acquisition session and to connect to an experiment which has already been created.
The first time you start checked some system options. In the Main Menu select "Preferences & Options" and then select "Edit Options".
Select Key = sys and review the histogram groups enabled. Set to 1 to create these groups during SETUP.
Select Key = vhsadc and check the settings for WebServer (normally localhost) and UserGUIVersion (=2 for Ian's MWD firmware; =1 for other generic firmwares)
Click on "Save Options" when finished.
From the main menu select the item "LyrTech VHS-ADC". Then in the window "Lyrtech VHS-ADC Client" select the VHSADC WebServer at localhost.
Now in the MIDAS TclHttpd console window you will see

Board VHS-ADC-8/16 found! -> Slot ID[0]
1 VHS boards discovered!!!

And in the "Lyrtech VHS-ADC Client" window you will see

Initialised VHSADC Web Service at localhost: 1 VHS-ADC boards discovered.

If you have more than 1 VHS-ADC board installed each will be automatically discovered by the software.

Click on "FPGA Programming". Check the options and Browse and select the firmware file to be used. Click on "Upload & Program FPGA"
Then click on "User Registers". Set the registers and options as required. Then click on "Save Settings". Now whenever you SETUP these settings are restored.

The screen should now look something like this (to see full size click on the image; use the browser "back" button to return here).

Application Setup

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