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Fusion Engineering and Design 87 (2012) 2218– 2222

Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect

Fusion Engineering and Design

jo ur nal homep age : www.elsev ier .com/ locate / fusengdes

eb technology to support LHD experiment management

oshio Nagayama ∗, Masahiko Emoto, Masanobu Yoshida, Chie Iwataational Institute for Fusion Science, 322-6 Oroshi, Toki 509-5292, Japan

r t i c l e i n f o

rticle history:eceived 24 July 2011eceived in revised form 8 June 2012ccepted 24 September 2012vailable online 22 October 2012

ACS:7.05.Kf7.05.Wr9.50.+v2.55.Fa

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a b s t r a c t

The large helical device (LHD), which is the world largest helical confinement system, is a national projectserving Japanese fusion community. In LHD, experiments of 7000 shots are carried out for 250 propo-sals every year. Efficient experiment arrangement is required in order to carry out many collaborators’proposal. Sometimes collaborators who are not familiar to LHD stay at NIFS only a few day to join theexperiment. Issues are as follows: how to reduce collaborator’s effort, how to reduce manager’s effortto optimize the schedule; how to publicize plan and results of the experiment. We have developed websystems of virtual printer, experimental proposal and scheduling by using Ruby on Rails (RoR), whichencapsulates relational data base (RDB) and AJAX. RDB enables to make tables by searching and sortingdata with key words. Web servers are equipped in the virtual computer system in order to minimizeefforts and cost of maintenance. The LHD web portal has been also developed in order to provide col-laborators an efficient and intuitive interface to access the above systems, to take LHD information, andto use tools for LHD data analysis. The web systems have reduced collaborators’ and managers’ effortssignificantly.

elational databaseanagement

ortalroposalcheduling

© 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

HDuby on Rails

. Introduction

In modern fusion experiments, many collaborators use a fewarge experimental devices, which have many diagnostics and data.lso the large project has a lot of rules and information, while mostollaborators are not familiar to them. The fair, transparent andmooth management of large experiment project is desired buts challenging. The large helical device (LHD), which is the worldargest helical confinement system, is a national project servingapanese fusion community. Many collaborators from all over Japanhare the LHD machine time. For example, in the 14th LHD exper-ment campaign (from October 12, 2010 to January 27, 2011), 242roposals were submitted. After several discussions, some propo-als were rejected and some were combined, but most of them werearried out by 8 task teams, and total shots were 6792. LHD exper-ment is very busy as we have about 150 shots for more than 5roposals every day. It takes half an hour to change the magnetic

onfiguration due to the long time constant of superconductingoil. Since the shot interval is 3 min, half an hour is equivalento 10 shots. Considering typical machine time allotted to each

∗ Tel.: +81 572 58 2153.E-mail address: nagayama.yoshio@nifs.ac.jp (Y. Nagayama).

920-3796/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.ttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2012.09.012

proposal is just 1 h (20 shots), the time for the configuration changeis so precious that it should be reduced as much as possible. AlsoLHD has many remote sites in “SNET” [1]. It is hard for collabo-rators in remote sites to take LHD information, if it spreads manyplaces.

Issues to manage the large experiment project are as follows: (1)How to reduce the collaborator’s effort; (2) How to reduce the man-ager’s effort; (3) How to publicize plan and result of experiment.Web technology may give a good solution. Recently electronic logbook systems have been developed as a useful viewer of informa-tion of plasma shots in several laboratories [2,3]. Also web portalshave been developed in order to reduce collaborators’ effort toaccess various information and to use suite of software tools [4–7].

In LHD we have been developing web applications [8] using“Ruby on Rails” (RoR) [9], and a data search system [10] using therelational database (RDB) “PostgreSQL” [14]. This paper presentsweb technology, which solves the above issues and supports themanagement of LHD experiment. We have developed the LHD webportal in order to access LHD information, to use applications for theLHD management, to watch LHD plasma during the experiment and

to analyze the LHD data. Applications for the management are asfollows: the LHD experiment proposal system and the LHD sched-uling system. Also we have developed the virtual printer system inorder to monitor LHD data, easily.

Y. Nagayama et al. / Fusion Engineering and Design 87 (2012) 2218– 2222 2219

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time server (http://ntp.nifs.ac.jp) with the network time protocol(NTP). The technical issue is how to synchronize time and shot No.Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of synchronization in the LHD web

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Fig. 1. The

. LHD web portal

The LHD web portal is designed to access all LHD information,ules and tools for data analysis. Fig. 1 shows the LHD web portal,hich is made by using RoR. When refreshing the web page, which

re written in the HTML language, the web page is rewritten bysing JAVAscript. On the top line there are links to useful web pages.n the left side there are buttons to download PDF books fromirtual printer and to operate useful tools. By using these tools, onean make a shot list that matches to search conditions, calculate theagnetic field lines and particle orbits, watch plasma parameters,ake a plasma control sequence (timing of heating, fueling, field,

tc.), and so on. The calendar that changes data in the portal islaced at the top and left hand side corner. The LHD web portal isesigned as frequently used functions occupy smaller area in user’somputer window by placing at the top and left hand side cornerf the window.

On the second line, one can watch TV monitor of plasma, NBIower monitor and data summary that presents time evolutionf major plasma parameters. The TV monitor is stored in a fileecorder and it can be replayed by clicking the reduced TV image.he NBI power monitor is provided by the NBI control system.ince LHD plasma is reproducible, the plasma quality can be imag-ned by watching the TV monitor and the NBI power monitors.hey are refreshed when new data are obtained. The third lineresents information or comments, which are written by operatorsf machines and experiment leaders. This information lets collabo-ators know present status of the experiment. By pushing “History”utton, a pop-up window appears to show all information in theame date. The fourth line presents information of plasma shotcf. shot No., magnetic configuration, etc.). Information of previ-us shot can be seen by entering a shot No. Residual lower halfart is user’s electronic logbook. The owner of logbook is identi-ed by login process. The login process also checks the privilege

f author of operator’s information. Thus, the shot No., time andriter’s name are automatically attached to the information.

Daily experiment schedule is based on time, but the plasma isabeled by the shot No. The shot calculator, which is included in the

eb portal.

LHD web portal, has been developed in order to obtain the shot No.at the particular time (cf. the end of machine time), and vice versa.Each computer has own time, but they are synchronized to the NIFS

Fig. 2. Schematic diagram of synchronizing mechanism in the LHD web portal sys-tem.

2220 Y. Nagayama et al. / Fusion Engineering and Design 87 (2012) 2218– 2222

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Fig. 3. Schematic diagram of the virtual printer systems.

ortal system. The LHD central control system multicasts the LHDequence information (shot No., sub-shot No. and status) in the LHDocal area network (LHD-LAN). The web portal system refreshes thehot No. and synchronizes to the LHD time when receiving a statusf “−3 s” from the multicast.

. LHD virtual printer system

During an experimental period, leading physicists must watchany data. In LHD, 8 different data summaries (cf. shot summary,

homson summary, etc.) are printed out between shots. For exam-le, the shot summary presents time evolutions of many majorlasma parameters, and the Thomson summary presents series ofime slices of the electron temperature and density profiles mea-ured by the Thomson scattering diagnostics. Printed papers areonvenient to look at many data at once. However, laser printersre not very reliable, and only few people can see the printed paper.n order to be free from the printer trouble, we have developed airtual printer system, which can be accessed by the LHD web por-al. This system provides a PDF book by connecting PDF pages inequential shots. By rotating mouse wheel, one can turn pages ofhe PDF book as quick as turning pages of printed papers.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the virtual printer systems.ach data analysis program, which is called data analyzer here,akes a PS or EPS file when printing out with a laser printer. The

ata analyzer also makes a copy of this PS/EPS file in a temporaryirectory of the file server. The virtual printer system converts it to

PDF file using “Ghostscript” [12], and stores it in the PDF directory

or the each analyzer. When downloading, a PDF book is made bysing a PDF toolkit “pdftk” [13].

Fig. 4. Schematic diagram of the LHD experiment proposal system.

4. LHD experiment proposal systems

Schematic diagram of the LHD experiment proposal system isshown in Fig. 4. The web server has a graphical user interface (GUI)that is similar to the LHD experiment proposal format. The inputdata are written in RDB tables by using PostgreSQL. First of all, usershould be registered to the personnel table in order to take useridentification (ID) and password. The login process uses the person-nel table. The personnel table is made from the list of LHD operatorsand physicists at the first moment. In the personnel table, personnelID number, name, E-mail address, division ID and other informa-tion is written. A new user is added to the personnel table with anapproval process.

The text data in the proposal form is written in the experimen-tal proposal table, of which line is identified with the experimentproposal ID number. The detailed information related those IDs arealso stored in the other table. The user’s name, division name, taskNo. and other parameters, which are stored in the database, canbe selected from the pull down menu. The name that is not in thepull down menu can be input by the user in the text format andthe new one is written in the related table. Collaborators in otheruniversities should fill NIFS host’s name, as the NIFS personnel isresponsible. The proposer should write the introduction and theplan of the proposed experiment in the text format. Since presentsystem cannot show equation, figure, or reference materials, theyare attached to the proposal as PDF files. The PDF files are storedin the file server, and the link of the PDF file is written in the RDB

The proposed experimental conditions (the magnetic configu-ration, the required heating power, the electron density, and so on)are also written in the proposed condition table with the proposed

Y. Nagayama et al. / Fusion Engineering and Design 87 (2012) 2218– 2222 2221

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ondition ID number. As the experiment proposal ID is also attachedo the proposed condition, the relational database can link to thoseata. Experiment proposals are categorized to 8 tasks, which carryut LHD experiments. Different experiments using the same con-guration can be found by sorting the configurations even if theyre proposed to different categories. Their experiments are carriedut sequentially in order to save the time of configuration change.

When making an application form, the formatter reads the datarom the RDB, fills the data in the format, and makes a PDF file of

LHD experiment proposal by using “PDFlib” [15]. The PDF file istored in the file server and the link is written in a table of RDB. Aser can makes a table of LHD experiment proposals by searchinghe RDB table in the web page. Main servers, such as the RDB servernd the file server are installed in the different virtual machines16] on LINUX computers by using “KVM” [17]. The virtual machineechnology makes the system portable, so that replacement of com-uter is easier.

When planning unusual LHD operation, such as a new magneticonfiguration or inserting a new probe into the vacuum vessel, onehould apply “the special operation”. The web application system ofhe special operation has been developed. This system is similar tohe LHD experiment proposal system. The difference except the for-

at is that the application system for the special operation has theeb approval page. The approval page can be accessed by the LHD

peration leaders. It has the download button of the documentationnd the approval/reject button.

. LHD scheduling system

Fig. 5 shows outline of database schema of the LHD experi-ent scheduling system. In each table, IDs of related RDB table

re written besides data and links to supplementary files. The LHDroject manager, supervisors, operation leaders, and task leadersave privilege to input database. In the scheduling GUI, which looks

ike a calender, a pop-up menu appears to input text and data bylicking an input button. There are three input buttons as follows:1) weekly schedule; (2) daily schedule; (3) experiment plan. Forxample, a supervisor can write the operator assignment in “day-

chedule” table from the GUI. The daily LHD experiment time iseparated by 3 periods as follows: the 1st period (9:45−−12:45),he 2nd period (12:45−−15:45); the 3rd period (15:45−18:45).he LHD project manager assigns task teams to periods. For each

HD experiment scheduling system.

experiment period, the task leader writes the experiment proce-dure in “exp-plan” table from the GUI.

The formatter program makes a PDF file of daily schedule bytaking data from RDB and putting them into the daily scheduleformat. The weekly schedule is discussed in the Monday meeting.The daily schedule is presented in the morning meeting. Even ifthe schedule or operator assignment is changed in the meeting,updated schedule can be informed immediately. After the experi-ment, task leaders write daily reports and upload the reports in PDFformat. In the next morning meeting, the daily report is presentedbriefly. The weekly report is also written by a leading physicist andits PDF file is uploaded from the GUI. LHD collaborators can down-load PDF files of schedule and reports using the scheduling GUI orthe LHD web portal.

6. Conclusion

In conclusion, web systems (such as web portal, virtual printer,experimental proposal, scheduling, etc.) have been developed inorder to support LHD experiment management. Reducing user’seffort requires efficient and intuitive human machine interface.LHD web portal provides an easy interface to obtain LHD experi-ment (plans, status, personnels, and reports), to view and to analyzeLHD data, and to calculate LHD magnetic configuration. The virtualprinter provides PDF books of key data summary. They can under-stand flow of experiment and present situation by looking at PDFbooks, which can be downloaded with the LHD web portal. Evenif they have no idea about LHD environment nor software applica-tion in their computer, they can join the LHD experiment and lookat data with the LHD web portal. Unlike DIII-D web portal [4], LHDweb portal is not customizable because most LHD collaborators donot need customizable but easier one.

Manager’s job, such as scheduling and job assignment, requiresmaking table. In LHD, web systems have been developed by usingRoR which encapsulates RDB and AJAX. Function of searching andsorting of RDB is very powerful to make a table, and web inter-face provides easier way of data input into RDB table. Web-basedexperimental proposal system reduces managers’ effort signifi-cantly, and also it clarifies how to propose LHD experiment to

collaborators. By using web-based scheduling system, supervisorsin different divisions assign jobs, task leaders make experimentplans, and physicists upload reports at the same time. In dayswithout these web systems, collaborators needed a lot of help of

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IFS host, and the deadline of scheduling was 15:00, which wasetermined by secretary’s working hour. By using web-based sys-em, experiment schedule can be changed during the morning

eeting, and plan (schedule) and results (report) are immediatelyublicized.

cknowledgments

This work is supported by NIFS (NIFS11ULPP009). The authorsre grateful to Professors S. Sudo, H. Yamada and A. Komori for theirontinuous encouragement.

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