Architecture of a Distributed Real-Time System to control Large High-Energy Physics Experiments

Abstract

The control of a large high energy physics experiment involves multiple domains with different requirements (some parts have to work in real time, some are safety critical, others have to be user friendly). Usually these domains are engineered separately. In order to increase the operating efficiency and the reliability and maintainability of the system, Delphi project at CERN took a global approach in the design of the complete experiment control. This approach allowed for the interconnection of the various domains and led to a high degree of automation and an homogeneous interface to the full control system. This paper describes an architecture and a development framework that can handle the different and sometimes contradictory requirements of the different parts of the experiment's online system.