# slackpkg file-search sql.h
[ installed ] - libiodbc-3.52.7-x86_64-2
...
# slackpkg search package
...
# cat /var/log/packages/libiodbc-3.52.7-x86_64-2
            usr/include/sql.h
...
            usr/lib64/libiodbc.so.2.1.19
...

Thanks, I am saving the slackpkg commands for future reference. Looks like the immediate problem is 
with the library name: libiodbc instead of libodbc. But the header file sql.h is the same.

I am not sure if it is worth making a generic solution for this: on MacOS, all ODBC functions are now 
obsoleted, to be removed, and since we are stanardized on MySQL anyway, so I think I will rewrite the SQL 
history driver to use the MySQL interface directly. Then all this ODBC extra layering will go away.

K.O.

> #include "use.h"
>  { USED int i=foo(); }

Sounds nifty, but google does not find use.h.

As for unused variables, some can be removed, others not so much, there is some code in there:

int i = blah...
#if 0
if (i=42) printf("wow, we got a 42!\n");
#endif
and
if (0) printf("debug: i=%d\n", i);

(difference is if you remove "i" or otherwise break the disabled debug code, "#if 0" will complain the next time you need that debugging code, "if (0)" will 
complain right away).

Some of this disabled debug code I would rather not remove - so much debug scaffolding I have added, removed, added again, removed again, all in the same 
places that I cannot be bothered with removing it anymore. I "#if 0" it and it stays there until I need it next time. But of course now gcc complains about it.

K.O.

I would like to store the address of 1-Wire temperature sensors in a device
driver. However, the supportet data types (as definded around
include/midas.h:311) do not foresee a type large enough.

Is there a good reason against this?

I know that other experiments use this kind of sensor, how do you store the
addresses? I've noticed that most of the address is just zeroes, but I wouldn't
like to store just half the address, assuming that half the address is always
zeroes.

> I would like to store the address of 1-Wire temperature sensors in a device
> driver. However, the supportet data types (as definded around
> include/midas.h:311) do not foresee a type large enough.
> 
> Is there a good reason against this?
> 
> I know that other experiments use this kind of sensor, how do you store the
> addresses? I've noticed that most of the address is just zeroes, but I wouldn't
> like to store just half the address, assuming that half the address is always
> zeroes.

Well, when this code was written, computers had 640kB  and operating systems had 16 bit. What 
you  can do for your 1-wire sensor is to store the address in two values, one 32-bit LSB and one 
32-bit MSB. Or store it in a string with hex representation.

Stefan 

> I would like to store the address of 1-Wire temperature sensors in a device
> driver. However, the supportet data types (as definded around
> include/midas.h:311) do not foresee a type large enough.
>

Hmm... you do not say what sensor you use and how many bits you actually need.

For up to 32 bits you can use TID_DWORD (uint32_t) (obviously)

For up to 48 bits (or so), you can use TID_DOUBLE (double) (wierd, but IEEE754 double precision variables would work as 48-bit (or so) integers).

For more, I would use arrays of TID_DWORD (64 bits, store low 32 bits into a[0], high bits into a[1]).

> 
> Is there a good reason against this?
> 

We had requests for implementing uint64_t 64-bit data types in MIDAS before. There are two problems:

a) in the MIDAS data banks, there is a problem with the bank header definition which only has 3 DWORDSs so causes
each alternating data bank to be 64-bit misaligned. And misaligned 64-bit data is very bad.

b) in ODB, 64-bit data support will need to be added from scratch and again it is not clear without doing it
if there will be any alignement problems. If one were to implement ODB from scratch, one would have everything
aligned to 64-bits or maybe even 128-bits, with uint64_t fully supported.

It is unlikely this kind of work will ever be done on ODB, but who knows.

> I know that other experiments use this kind of sensor, how do you store the
> addresses? I've noticed that most of the address is just zeroes, but I wouldn't
> like to store just half the address, assuming that half the address is always
> zeroes.

Cannot answer without knowing what sensor you use, but certainly you can use an array of bytes
or an array of integers to store arbitrarily long addresses. You can also use a TID_STRING
and store the address as a text string "0xabcdabcdabcdabcd" of arbitrary length.

K.O.

Hello, 
   Is there any example code for using midas for interrupt driven data
collection over VME? I am using a Struck SIS3100 PCI/VME setup to connect to my
VME crate.  Thanks,
  -Dan

We had the problem that different experiments used different MAX_EVENT_SIZE
values (the MEG experiment actually 10 MB!). If each experiment changes the
value in midas.h and accidentally commits it, other experiments are affected.
Therefore I modified midas.h and the Makefile to accept a new environment
variable MIDAS_MAX_EVENT_SIZE. If this value is set, the Makefile passes it's
value to midas.h where it supersedes the default value which is currently at 4 MB.

PAA: Can you pleas add this to the documentation at the right spot? Thanks.

Starting from midas version 1.9.4 on, the environment variable 'MIDASSYS'
should be defined and point to the installation directory of midas. The
purpose of that is that add-on packages (like the upcoming ROME system) can
find the midas libraries and include files. It is excatly the same as for
ROOT which defines ROOTSYS and should therefore be straight forward. The
libraries should then reside in $MIDASSYS/lib (or %MIDASSYS%\lib under windows).

To remind users about this new variable, a test has been added to odbedit,
which shows a warning when starting odbedit and MIDASSYS is not defined.

> Starting from midas version 1.9.4 on, the environment variable 'MIDASSYS'
> should be defined and point to the installation directory of midas. The
> purpose of that is that add-on packages (like the upcoming ROME system) can
> find the midas libraries and include files. It is excatly the same as for
> ROOT which defines ROOTSYS and should therefore be straight forward. The
> libraries should then reside in $MIDASSYS/lib (or %MIDASSYS%\lib under windows).
> 
> To remind users about this new variable, a test has been added to odbedit,
> which shows a warning when starting odbedit and MIDASSYS is not defined.

1. Finally! It's about time to do that! 

2. What will the entire structure tree look like?

Here's my suggestion
MIDASSYS=/opt/midas-1.9.4 (for example)   


so the Linux binaries would go to 
MIDASHOST=i386-pc-linux-gnu
$MIDASSYS/$MIDASHOST/bin
$MIDASSYS/$MIDASHOST/lib

the VxWorks binaries
MIDASHOST=m68k-wrs-vxworks
$MIDASSYS/$MIDASHOST/bin
$MIDASSYS/$MIDASHOST/lib

and the shared stuff would go to 
$MIDASSYS/include
$MIDASSYS/share/drivers
$MIDASSYS/share/examples

The Makefile would need to be adjusted (for make install) but that is not
too complicated

What do you think?

Regards
  Piotr

> Here's my suggestion
> MIDASSYS=/opt/midas-1.9.4 (for example)   

I guess we should follow the "standard" as much as possible. MIDASSYS was inspired by
ROOTSYS. Now where do people usually install ROOT? Is it /opt/root-x.x.x or something
else. Some years ago (when I did the last time some linux administration) optional
packages were put into /usr/local by default. I guess you have more experience with
today's tradition, so do whatever you thing is standard.

> so the Linux binaries would go to 
> MIDASHOST=i386-pc-linux-gnu
> $MIDASSYS/$MIDASHOST/bin
> $MIDASSYS/$MIDASHOST/lib

Does that mean that the path has to be modified to include $MIDASSYS/$MIDASHOST/bin?
If we put a link to /usr/local/bin, the path does not have to be modified. What about
shared libraries? Does ldconfig know about /usr/local/lib, or $MIDASYS/$MIDASHOST/lib?

> and the shared stuff would go to 
> $MIDASSYS/include
> $MIDASSYS/share/drivers
> $MIDASSYS/share/examples

What about /usr/share? Is that a common place for documentatino etc?

Thanks for your advice.

- Stefan

> I guess we should follow the "standard" as much as possible. MIDASSYS was inspired by
> ROOTSYS. Now where do people usually install ROOT? Is it /opt/root-x.x.x or something
> else. Some years ago (when I did the last time some linux administration) optional
> packages were put into /usr/local by default. I guess you have more experience with
> today's tradition, so do whatever you thing is standard.
I agree that we should follow the standard. 
I used /opt as an example. 
There are several "schools" as to where put things my philosophy is
/usr/{bin,lib,include}       - std OS packages (RPMS, .deb or whatever your flavor likes)
/usr/local/{bin,lib,include} - make/make install packages
/opt/..                      - additional packages (RPMS, ...) 

But it should be up to the user what $MIDASSYS she/he likes.

> 
> > so the Linux binaries would go to 
> > MIDASHOST=i386-pc-linux-gnu
> > $MIDASSYS/$MIDASHOST/bin
> > $MIDASSYS/$MIDASHOST/lib
> 
> Does that mean that the path has to be modified to include $MIDASSYS/$MIDASHOST/bin?
> If we put a link to /usr/local/bin, the path does not have to be modified. What about
> shared libraries? Does ldconfig know about /usr/local/lib, or $MIDASYS/$MIDASHOST/lib?
The path could/should be modified in users .bashrc/.tcshrc or we could provide a simple
system-wide script(s) that would do the job.
For years, I've been using such a scenario on my Linux PCs with regards to various
add-on packages (e.g. cern). 

Here's an example of my cern.sh that goes into /etc/profile.d on my RedHat Linux PC
#===================================
. /etc/profile.d/.functions
export CERN=/cern
export CERN_LEVEL=pro
addpath $CERN/$CERN_LEVEL/bin
#===================================

As for library path: there are several ways (as with exec path)
a) nice way: modify /etc/ld.so.conf by adding $MIDASYS/$MIDASHOST/lib
b) modifying LD_LIBRARY_PATH (there's some security issues with it)
c) symlinking to /usr/local/lib


> 
> What about /usr/share? Is that a common place for documentatino etc?
Yes. Check any recent Linux distribution /usr/share is full of docs, icons, etc.

This is my bias. 

I (obviously) prefer packing things into rpm which makes install/updates 
very easy - especially if you are managing several machines.

Cheers
    Piotr

For a long time the "de facto" standard was to spread a package around in many
directories under /usr/local.  This proved to be a bad idea, as removing the
package
became very difficult.

With POSIX there is a written standard, which says that each pacakge goes in
it's own
directory under /opt. eg. /opt/midas.  Each package gets to define it's own
structure
within that directory.  One could imagine several versions installed at the
same time
/opt/midas/v1.9.2 and /opt/midas/v1.9.4 each with a bin, lib include etc. 
Following the
ROOT example, you could make a link from /opt/midas/pro to
/opt/midas/v1.9.4, so that
system files and login files are easy to maintain etc.  The basic idea is

MIDASSYS=/opt/midas/pro
PATH=$PATH:$MIDASSYS/bin

though a more sophisticated approach is

MIDASSYS=/opt/midas/pro
echo $PATH | grep -q $MIDASSYS || PATH=$PATH:$MIDASSYS/bin

where the assignment line (Bourne shell, and BASH shell) ensures
that multiple entries are not added on the PATH even if the script is more
than once.

POSIX also goes on to say that links from /opt/bin can be made if desired. 
I find this
usefull if a package has only one or two executables, and I don't to make
multiple
versions available.

I hope that the POSIX ideas are usefull,

John.

> > Here's my suggestion
> > MIDASSYS=/opt/midas-1.9.4 (for example)   
> 
> I guess we should follow the "standard" as much as possible. MIDASSYS was
inspired by
> ROOTSYS. Now where do people usually install ROOT? Is it /opt/root-x.x.x
or something
> else. Some years ago (when I did the last time some linux administration)
optional
> packages were put into /usr/local by default. I guess you have more
experience with
> today's tradition, so do whatever you thing is standard.
> 
> > so the Linux binaries would go to 
> > MIDASHOST=i386-pc-linux-gnu
> > $MIDASSYS/$MIDASHOST/bin
> > $MIDASSYS/$MIDASHOST/lib
> 
> Does that mean that the path has to be modified to include
$MIDASSYS/$MIDASHOST/bin?
> If we put a link to /usr/local/bin, the path does not have to be modified.
What about
> shared libraries? Does ldconfig know about /usr/local/lib, or
$MIDASYS/$MIDASHOST/lib?
> 
> > and the shared stuff would go to 
> > $MIDASSYS/include
> > $MIDASSYS/share/drivers
> > $MIDASSYS/share/examples
> 
> What about /usr/share? Is that a common place for documentatino etc?
> 
> Thanks for your advice.
> 
> - Stefan

> With POSIX there is a written standard, which says that each pacakge goes in
> it's own
> directory under /opt. eg. /opt/midas.  Each package gets to define it's own
> structure
> within that directory.  One could imagine several versions installed at the
> same time
> /opt/midas/v1.9.2 and /opt/midas/v1.9.4 each with a bin, lib include etc. 
> Following the
> ROOT example, you could make a link from /opt/midas/pro to
> /opt/midas/v1.9.4, so that
> system files and login files are easy to maintain etc.  The basic idea is
> 
> MIDASSYS=/opt/midas/pro
> PATH=$PATH:$MIDASSYS/bin
> 
> though a more sophisticated approach is
> 
> MIDASSYS=/opt/midas/pro
> echo $PATH | grep -q $MIDASSYS || PATH=$PATH:$MIDASSYS/bin
> 
> where the assignment line (Bourne shell, and BASH shell) ensures
> that multiple entries are not added on the PATH even if the script is more
> than once.

That sounds all very good to me. So can you please sit together (at least John,
Piotr, and Pierre-Andre), discuss a common scheme and and propose it officially in
this forum for comments. After a week or so, it should be implemented into the
Makefile and installation scripts. I also would like to have Paul Knowles giving
it a look, since he voluteered to make the midas RPMs, which also heavily depends
on the chosen directory structure.

> > Starting from midas version 1.9.4 on, the environment variable 'MIDASSYS' ...
> 2. What will the entire structure tree look like?
> 
> Here's my suggestion
> MIDASSYS=/opt/midas-1.9.4 (for example)   

Where should MIDAS be installed?

After looking at the LSB and at the FHS, it appears that the standards permit all of:
1) /opt/midas...
2) /usr/{bin,lib,...}
3) /usr/local/{bin,lib,...}

Some handy references:
http://www.pathname.com/fhs/pub/fhs-2.3.html
http://www.linuxbase.org/spec/

The "example LSB-compliant packages" appear to install into /opt/lsb, but I do not see
 any guidance as to where "my" packages should go.

Then, after some googling, I see that IBM "recommends" /opt (see
http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-lsb.html):

begin-quote---
To avoid name space collisions when installing LSB-conforming applications, the
applications belonging to the base operating system or the distribution are to be
installed in /sbin/, /bin/, or /usr/. System administrators can build packages from
source and install them into the /usr/local/ directory. However, third-party packages
of add-on software must be installed in /opt/<package>/, where <package> is the name
that describes a software suite.
end-quote---


K.O.

> Where should MIDAS be installed?

I personally don't have any preference, as long as it's in accordance with "the standard"
(whatever this is). Maybe one should add a flag to the makefile to specify the
installation directory, either /opt or /usr/local, so people then have the choice. I have
seen that in other packages. As for the RPM, I leave the final proposal to the person
writing the spec file (Paul? Piotr? Konstantin?). We should then commonly agree on the
location based on that proposal. The person supplying the RPM will "officially" become the
RPM maintainer and be responsible for maintaining it.

> installed in /sbin/, /bin/, or /usr/. System administrators can build packages from
> source and install them into the /usr/local/ directory. However, third-party packages
> of add-on software must be installed in /opt/<package>/, where <package> is the name
> that describes a software suite.

Well, midas is kind of in the middle. On one hand it's a third-party package (-> /opt),
but it requires some compilation to allow meaningful work (frontend, analyzer). So maybe
the RPM should go to /opt, and if compiled from the TAR ball it should go to /usr/local?
But that means if someone has to maintain a large basis of midas machines, he/she has to
always search two locations. On the other hand one can alway do a "cd $MIDASSYS" ...

- Stefan

A new transition scheme has been implemented and committed. Previously, one had the
possibility to register for PRE/POST transitions, which was necessary in order to first
stop the frontends, then stop the logger to close the data file. While this scheme
long time has proven to be successful, it was now concluded that three levels
(PRESTROP/STOP/POSTSTOP for example) are not suffucient in some cases. Therefore,
a true sequence-based scheme has been introduced, implemented and committed.

The PRE/POST transition have been removed and an extra parameter "sequence_number"
has been added to cm_register_transition. If clients register with different
sequence numbers, their RPC transition function is executed according to their
sequnce number, smaller numbers being executed prior to larger numbers.

The frontends register at sequence number 500 for example, while the logger
registers with 200 for start and 800 for stop, making sure it's called after the
frontend(s) when stopping a run. The default numbers can be changed from within
the user code with the new function cm_set_transition_sequence(). This way, it is
for example possible to have all frontends being called in a certain sequence
when starting and stopping runs.

The modification will (hopefully) not have any influence of existing experiemnts,
as long as they don't call cm_register_transition directly. If so however, one has
to add the additional parameter to this function.

Hi everyone,

I've recently took the analyzer template from $MIDASSYS/examples/experiment and 
modified it to be able to use Roody on a very simple frontend setup. The 
analyzer works fine and I am able to view the online histograms but my console 
prints out this error:

[Analyzer,ERROR] [odb.cxx:919:db_validate_name,ERROR] Invalid name 
"/Analyzer/Tests/Always true/Rate [Hz]" passed to db_create_key_wlocked: should 
not contain "["                      
[Analyzer,ERROR] [odb.cxx:919:db_validate_name,ERROR] Invalid name 
"/Analyzer/Tests/low_sum/Rate [Hz]" passed to db_create_key_wlocked: should not 
contain "["
[Analyzer,ERROR] [odb.cxx:919:db_validate_name,ERROR] Invalid name 
"/Analyzer/Tests/high_sum/Rate [Hz]" passed to db_create_key_wlocked: should not 
contain "["

The error keeps getting printed even after stopping the run.

I do have these 3 keys under Analyzer/Tests/ in my ODB but I do not know where 
they come from. Any suggestions on what the root of the issue is?

Thanks for the help!

Isaac

> I've recently took the analyzer template from $MIDASSYS/examples/experiment and 
> modified it to be able to use Roody on a very simple frontend setup.

Hmm... the old midas analyzer framework is very old and I do not recommend
to use it for new experiments.

A newer analyzer system is ROOTANA and an even newer is the "m" analyzer (manalyzer). These
analyzers progressively introduce improved c++-style programming environments amongst other
improvements. If starting from scratch, I recommend that you use manalyzer (currently from the rootana
git repository).

> The analyzer works fine and I am able to view the online histograms but my console 
> prints out this error:
> 
> [Analyzer,ERROR] [odb.cxx:919:db_validate_name,ERROR] Invalid name 
> "/Analyzer/Tests/Always true/Rate [Hz]" passed to db_create_key_wlocked: should 
> not contain "["

The error says what it means. "[" is not a permitted character in odb names. It is used
by many odb functions to access array elements.

The midas analyzer example should be updated to change "[Hz]" to "(Hz)" or something similar.

K.O.

https://bitbucket.org/tmidas/midas/issues/298/invalid-odb-names-in-example-midas
K.O.

> https://bitbucket.org/tmidas/midas/issues/298/invalid-odb-names-in-example-midas
> K.O.

Hi K.O.

Ok I see, I will use the most up to date analyzer.

Thanks a ton for your help.

Isaac