VEGAS Pulsar Project Meeting - Sprint Review: 2017 October 2nd 14:00 - 15:00pm ET

Present

  • Ryan, Jason, Laura, Joe, Ray

Sprint Story Overview

  • VE-320: Fix dual backend balancing in pulsar modes (COMPLETE)
  • Offline script validation (INCOMPLETE)
  • Verify that LBW gain balancing works in Matrix spectral line modes (COMPLETE)
  • Implement messaging/reporting of LBW gain balancing errors (COMPLETE)
  • Enable automatic switching between classic and matrix HPC modes (IN PROGRESS)
  • Investigate packet loss in c1500 modes (INCOMPLETE)
  • High time resolution modes (INCOMPLETE)
  • Final spectral line regression tests (INCOMPLETE)
  • Final pulsar mode tests (INCOMPLETE)
  • Continue work on pulsar Matrix
  • Append delays to BOF file names

Story Details

VE-320: Fix dual backend balancing in pulsar modes

  • Ray added a conditional in the balancing routine that skips any attempt at LBW gain balancing in the pulsar modes.
  • A Balance() command when configuring for both GUPPI and Astrid only balances the GUPPI IF path, but an additional Balance("VEGAS") balances the VEGAS IF and no longer causes any error messages or abort attempts in Astrid. Ray considers this a perfectly acceptable solution.

Offline script validation

  • No updates
  • Richard reported this, but Ryan thinks that the exact issue is that validation fails in offline mode when on the regression candidate branch for spectral line modes.
  • This may also be an issue for pulsar modes, but Ryan has not rigorously verified this.

Verify that LBW gain balancing works in Matrix spectral line modes

  • Ryan believes that Richard checkes this on Thursday on banks for which the IF balancing was OK.
  • Ray has verified that this works in the regression environment.

Implement messaging/reporting of LBW gain balancing errors

  • During testing on Thursday Richard, Ray, and Ryan confirmed that a CLEO error is now issued if VEGAS fails to balance. However, there were obvious issues with the IF balancing that seem to be related only to the regression test candidate branch. These will need to be investigated. Another round of testing to make sure the CLEO messages appear in the correct context may be needed.
  • If the balancing of any component reaches the maximum number of attempts a message is issued.

Enable automatic switching between classic and matrix HPC modes

  • Ray has just started work on this, and is in the debugging stage.

Investigate packet loss in c1500 modes

  • Ryan will prioritize talk with Jason and Randy about this.

Continue work on pulsar Matrix

  • Joe got pulled away on this to work on the VEGAS spectral line day display.

Fix VEGAS spectral line data display

  • The web-based display uses an interface to the manager to stream decimated data. In classic mode the manager wrote the FITS files itself and had the necessary information.
  • In the Matrix the HPC writes the FITS files instead of the manager.
  • Joe is implementing a Matrix interface to enable this. This is needed for any Matrix spectral line release.

Append delays to BOF file names

  • No updates.

High time resolution modes

  • No updates.

Final spectral line regression tests

  • Waiting on fixes to IF balancing, matrix/classic switching.

Final pulsar mode tests

  • Waiting for freeze of pulsar modes.

VEGAS Pulsar Project Meeting - Sprint Planning: 2017 August 14th 2:00 - 3:00pm ET

Note: The team's "velocity" has been consistent at 11--13 points per sprint. We should aim for 12 points per sprint for planning purposes.

Backlog

  • High time resolution modes
  • Investigate packet loss in c1500 modes
  • Continue work on Matrix LBW pulsar modes

Critical Issues

  • Offline script validation
  • Enable automatic switching between Matrix and classic modes.
  • Continue working on Matrix spectral line data display

New Stories

  • MAC addresses for 10-gig ethernet ports are wrong for Banks C and D in VPM coherent modes
    • The MAC addresses seem totally invalid (10.10.10.11)
    • Ray needs to see if he can recreate this in the regression environment
    • Ray suggests setting up logging on the ROACH to see when this happens.
  • Identify a source tree for VPM utilities
  • Install VPM utilities in new source tree
  • Add a Task Master task for vpm_auto_plot, automatic VPM bandpass monitor, and a DAQ server used to monitor processes on the VPM HPCs in coherent dedispersion modes.
  • Investigate IF balancing in Matrix spectral line modes
    • Banks E, F, G, and H failed to properly balance at the IF rack during testing on Thursday. This was persistent across different spectral line modes. We didn't have a chance to investigate in detail, but the issue did not appear in a quick check of a handful of modes when we moved back to 16.3, so it would appear to be related to the regression candidate specifically.
    • The exact symptom was too little power in at least one polarization channel on the above banks. The IF was set up for X-Band.
    • In addition, one of the spectral windows in Bank A was cut off at the low end of the band. It almost looked as if a filter was not centered properly, but this is pure speculation. Again, this did not appear after switching back to 16.3

-- RyanLynch - 2017-10-02
Topic revision: r2 - 2017-10-02, RyanLynch
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