The deliverables of the Software & Computing project are determined by the need to prepare a complete and coherent software suite and computing environment for the beginning of ATLAS data taking in 2007. At the same time, the project has to provide continued support for detector commissioning activities and for physics studies.
The continued developments of core as well as of algorithmic code and of the computing environment prompted us to organize a series of so-called Data Challenges, starting in 2001. The scope of the Data Challenges is the test of increasingly complete software and infrastructure at progressively larger scales:
Complementary tests to the Data Challenges are those carried out in the context of the LCG Service Challenges. While the main aim of the Service Challenges is to set up the world-wide infrastructure that will allow the operation of our Computing Model, it is important that our production tools be integrated in those tests, so as to be tested extensively themselves at the same time.
Given these external constraints, it is the task of the Planning Officer, in consultation with the CMB and SPMB, to define the development and release plan for the necessary components. The development plan is then implemented in the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) [8-1] and the details of the work packages are discussed with the appropriate groups. The WBS is revised approximately once per year.
Progress is followed through regular internal reports; currently the Project Progress Tracking (PPT) system [8-2], developed at CERN for the LHC accelerator and detector construction, is in use. The PPT system is clearly designed for construction projects, therefore we will have to evaluate in the near future how to adapt it (or which other system to use) to monitor continuous software development and optimization activities.
In preparing for ATLAS physics data in 2007, two complementary planning activities are under way. One of these deals with the use of the offline software and computing system in support of the commissioning of the ATLAS detector sub-systems as described in Section 3.12 , "Use of Offline Software for Detector Commissioning". The other focuses on the commissioning of the computing system itself, the goal being to ensure that it meets minimal functionality, performance and robustness requirements for experiment turn-on.
Detailed planning for the computing system commissioning is under way, with the following major tests being planned:
The strategy is to allow, as much as possible, for these tests to take place in parallel, although some couplings obviously exist and will be factored into the detailed scheduling.
A set of detailed acceptance criteria is being established for each test and these will be incorporated into the recurrent testing and validation procedures described in Section 3.13 to ensure that these criteria continue to be met. They set functionality, technical performance, and physics performance thresholds that need to be met or exceeded. For example, acceptance criteria for the Full Software Chain will include:
The TDAQ/Offline full chain test is the culmination of the commissioning process, corresponding to the software and computing systems being ready for ATLAS physics.
This commissioning activity is scheduled to start in autumn 2005, and continue through to ATLAS turn-on.
The list of milestones is intimately connected to the WBS. Here we list only the high-level milestones, i.e. those that, if missed, would have an impact on the ability of the Software & Computing project to satisfy its users.
![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() |
Copyright © CERN 2005