HOW-TOs

This is just a unrevised collection. The purpose is to write down some things, before we forget them...

Timing System

The recommended official interface to a Timing Receiver is SAFTlib.

• @developers: here is a userland example using SAFTlib
• @users: checkout the saftlib command line tools 'saft-xxx'

Under the hood, the Etherbone API and command line tools 'eb-xxx' continue to play an important role.

Users

• HOW-TO: SCU Reset
• HOW-TO: Registration of SCUs and Timing Receivers
• HOW-TO: Migration to saftlib without glibmm and DBus
• HOW-TO: Command Line Tools for Timing Receiver (including SCU)
  • HOW-TO: eb-mon: Display basic info on White Rabbit, IP, MAC, temperature...
  • HOW-TO: saft-ctl: Display TR and ECA status and do simple things with a Timing Receiver
  • HOW-TO: saft-uni: UNILAC specific Tool
  • HOW-TO: saft-dm: Provides simple Data Master locally at a FEC (hard real-time!)
  • HOW-TO: saft-io-ctl: Display and Configure I/O (including ECA) with a Timing Receiver
  • HOW-TO: saft-clk-gen: Generate fixed frequency clock trains
  • HOW-TO: eb-reset: Resets (parts of) FPGA
  • HOW-TO: eb-info: Display info on gateware and firmware
  • HOW-TO: eb-flash: Flash a Timing Receiver (including SCU) with a Gateware/Firmware Image
  • HOW-TO: eb-console: Setting a static IP
• HOW-TO: Snooping of Timing Messages
  • HOW-TO: Snooping using the Online Schedule Monitor on the ASL Cluster
  • HOW-TO: Snooping using saft-ctl on a FEC
  • HOW-TO: saft-lcd: Live (BP)Chain Display
  • HOW-TO: snoopy-spy
• HOW-TO: Checking and Testing Things
  • HOW-TO: Check a FEC
  • HOW-TO: Monitoring via Web Browser
  • HOW-TO: ACO Tools for Frontend Access

Developers and Administrators

• HOW-TO: Setting Up a Linux Box
• HOW-TO: Building and Deployment for Linux Boxes and SCU
• HOW-TO: LM32 Soft-CPU
  • HOW-TO: eb-fwload: Upload firmware to one or more LM32 Soft-CPU
  • HOW-TO: Accessing another SoC Wishbone device from a LM32 Soft-CPU
  • HOW-TO: Using MIL Devicebus from a LM32 Soft-CPU
  • HOW-TO: Accessing a LM32 Soft-CPU via shared memory and Wishbone
  • HOW-TO: Send a command to a LM32 Soft-CPU
  • HOW-TO: Testing ECA Queue by LM32 Soft-CPU and PC
  • HOW-TO: LM32 Soft-CPU receives MSI form ECA
  • HOW-TO: Detecting Stack Violation in a LM32-Soft-CPU
  • HOW-TO: LM32 Compiler
• HOW-TO: Operating the Clock Master
• HOW-TO: Configuring and Operating the Data Master
• Gateway Data Master UNILAC Pulszentrale
  • HOW-TO: Betrieb
  • HOW-TO: Configuration and Rufbereitschaft
• White Rabbit Pulszentrale (WR-UNIPZ)
  • HOW-TO: WR-UNIPZ - Betrieb und Rufbereitschaft
  • HOW-TO: Coding and Deployment WR-UNIPZ
  • HOW-TO: Device Access - A Very Basic Primer
• HOW-TO: Configuring and Operating WR-MIL gateway
• HOW-TO: VETAR2A direct access mode
• HOW-TO: PCIe direct access mode
• HOW-TO: Write a simple Linux(Kernel-6.4) driver for PCIe direct access mode
• HOW-TO: Generate bursts
• HOW-TO: Remote Debugging of SAFTlib (saftd) on an SCU with GDB
• HOW-TO: Install etherbone library and eb-tools on tsl101
• HOW-TO: Keys for Timing Backdoor

Commissioning Form Factors

• HOW-TO: Commissioning PEXARIA5A
• HOW-TO: Commissioning VETAR2A
• HOW-TO: Commissioning EXPLODER5A
• HOW-TO: Testing and Commissioning AMC
• HOW-TO: Testing and Commissioning PMC
• HOW-TO: Testing and Commissioning PEXP

WR Switches

• documentation on OHWR
• FAQs on OHWR (including how-to connect the grandmaster switch to a GPS)
• MAC authentication 802.1x
• VLANs with WR Switches versus VLANs with IT Switches
• Use port mirroring in a WRS
• Monitor local system time of a WRS via SNMP
• Synchronize the clock of non-WR devices in the WR network
• Test the interoperability of the IEEE 1588 capable network adapters with the WR switches
• Run the ordinary and boundary clocks using Linuxptp and the IEEE 1588 capable network adapter

Other Stuff

• HOW-TO: Mounting a PCIe Timing Receiver in a SuperMicro
• HOW-TO: Etherbone with Wireshark (11-Oct-2019)
• HOW-TO: FECo (Forward Error Correction) (04-Apr-2016)
• HOW-TO: WR LLDP (15-Nov-2017)
• HOW-TO: Simulation WR (24-Jan-2018)
• HOW-TO: GHDL coupling to C via VHPI (24-Jun-2020)
• Installing Quartus 18 on Linux Mint 19.2 (01-Nov-2019)
• Firmware IDs and new SDBs for User LM32 CPUs (07-May-2015)
• HOW-TO: Mounting a Windows Network Drive from Home (19-Mar-2020)
• HOW-TO: Mounting a Linux Network Drive from Home (19-May-2021)
• HOW-TO: Remote Desktop to your GSI Windows box from Home (19-May-2021)
• HOW-TO: Poor Humans TIF - An ugly temporary workaround for the 2021 beam time (19-Apr-2021)
• HOW-TO: Use xdot to analyze schedules (23-Feb-2023)

Deprecated How-To

Deprecated HOW-TOs are here.

-- DietrichBeck - 4 November 2022