Redesign of the Timeline Generator at Fermilab using a web-based Flutter application, GraphQL API and an IOC

The control system at Fermilab is undergoing an evolution with a shift towards web-based applications with connections to the EPICS infrastructure. The Timeline Generator (TLG) is an application that serves to coordinate events across the lab using different timing links. These links include the Tevatron clock (TCLK), a 10 MHz serial link with events encoded at 20Hz and Machine Data (MDAT), a communication link with states encoded at 720Hz. This paper covers the redesign of the major components of the TLG. This includes a web-based Flutter application for building timelines. A placement service is in use that has a GraphQL interface and uses a timeline input to compute a schedule of events and states. The Flutter application sends this computed schedule to the TLG IOC via a GraphQL interface to the Data Pool Manager (DPM). The TLG IOC runs on an Arria FPGA, the Accelerator Clock Generator (ACLK-GEN), which is responsible for writing the events and states on to the different timing links.

Publication Details

Journal
JACOW
Published
2025-12-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.18429/jacow-icalepcs2025-thpd083
Primary Topic
Particle Detector Development and Performance
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Redesign of the Timeline Generator at Fermilab using a web-based Flutter application, GraphQL API and an IOC

JACOW
Particle Detector Development and Performance
article

Redesign of the Timeline Generator at Fermilab using a web-based Flutter application, GraphQL API and an IOC

article en

Abstract

The control system at Fermilab is undergoing an evolution with a shift towards web-based applications with connections to the EPICS infrastructure. The Timeline Generator (TLG) is an application that serves to coordinate events across the lab using different timing links. These links include the Tevatron clock (TCLK), a 10 MHz serial link with events encoded at 20Hz and Machine Data (MDAT), a communication link with states encoded at 720Hz. This paper covers the redesign of the major components of the TLG. This includes a web-based Flutter application for building timelines. A placement service is in use that has a GraphQL interface and uses a timeline input to compute a schedule of events and states. The Flutter application sends this computed schedule to the TLG IOC via a GraphQL interface to the Data Pool Manager (DPM). The TLG IOC runs on an Arria FPGA, the Accelerator Clock Generator (ACLK-GEN), which is responsible for writing the events and states on to the different timing links.

JACOW
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Openalex Percentile: Top 26%
Particle Detector Development and Performance
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