H1dcm - a Network Based Detector Control and Monitoring System for the H1 Experiment

From Oct. 2000 until July 2001 the H1 experiment at the e-p collider HERA has been considerably upgraded for higher luminosity running. The required modifications for the H1 detector control system have been the object of the H1 detector control and monitoring project. A variety of subsystems, some from the early 1990s as well as new subsystems with modern design and technology are to be controlled and monitored by a common detector control system. In order to reduce the manpower demand for operation and the burden on the on-site detector experts a common control system is proposed that is based on a commercial supervisory control and data acquisition system. In addition to the typical functionality of a modern control system, the choice for the product is driven by requiring a distributed network based system, support of Linux and WindowsNT, an object oriented modeling of the devices and the possibility of H1 specific implementations via an application programming interface. The control system for a CAEN based high voltage supplies, for the superconducting H1 magnet and for the H1 luminosity system successfully started operation in July 2001. Gradually further subsystems will be included. The aim is to enable a single person to supervise and control the experiment and its data taking and to allow remote access for experts. The basic design of the control system is presented and the experience during implementation and commissioning is discussed.