Camera Control System - Introduction to CCS#

This document gives an overview of the Camera Control System (CCS), particularly targeted to users on the summit in Chile, including Operations Specialists. CCS is used by AuxTel, ComCam and LSSTCam. In general this document applies to all 3 cameras, except where specifically noted.

Who should read this document?#

When a camera (be it AuxTel, ComCam or LSSTCam) is working normally it operates under control of the Observatory Control System (OCS) and knowledge of the CCS is not normally needed. You will need to use CCS under the following circumstances.

  • You are working to get the camera ready for normal operation.

  • The camera has gone into a FAULT state, and you need to understand what caused the fault and rectify it. Although the introductory material here will be useful you may also want to see `Recovering-from-a-FAULT-Condition`_

  • You want to monitor details of the camera operation, or understand its operation in more detail than displayed by LOVE.

  • You want to perform an operation which requires using CCS directly, such as taking camera EO data with fp scripts.

Overview of CCS functionality#

CCS is a distributed system….

How to login to CCS machines at the summit#

Logging in from the Summit Control Room#

Logging in from the Base Control Room#

Logging in from Remote Control Rooms#

SLAC#

Tucson#

Logging in from other locations#

What machines exist#

AuxTel#

ComCam#

LSSTCam#

What are CCS subsystems?#

Which subsystems exist at the summit#

Interacting with CCS#

There are a number of tools which allow you to interact with CCS.

  • ccs-console

    A graphical tool for interacting with CCS subsystems. This is the easiest tool to use, especially if you are logged in to one of the machines in the control room.

  • ccs-shell

    A command line tool for interacting with CCS subsystems. Generally ccs-shell is the best tool to use when

    1. You are already familiar with the basic commands supported by CCS.

    2. You are accessing a machine remotely (for example using ssh) and the overhead of starting a ccs-console would be too large.

    3. You are following procedures outlined elsewhere in this document which call for issuing specific commands.

  • ccs-script

    A tool which allows CCS to be controlled using simple python scripts. This tool is usually only used by experts for special purposes.

  • ccs trending

    CCS trending allows you to view time histories of quantities monitored by CCS. There are actually several ways to access the CCS trending data.

    1. Using the CCSWebTrending web interface.

    2. Using the ccs-console.

    3. Using trender.py - a python interface to the ccs trending database.

  • camera image visualization

    A tool for viewing camera images.

Each of these tools is described in more details below.

ccs-console#

See The CCS Console User’s Guide.

ccs-shell#

ccs-script#

This is primarily a developers tool, and it probably beyond the scope of this document.

camera image visualization#

What are locks, and how to use them#

What are the MCM and ocs-bridge#

What states can they be in#

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This procedure was last modified on Jul 03, 2024.