Re: autosave/restore software fails

[Ben Ocko <ben@solids.phy.bnl.gov>]

Hi,

From what I've read from the stream of emails, more effort
should be put into the autosave/restore software.  My estimate is
that a week of time at the APS for one beamline cost the equivalent of 
$100,000, or about the cost of one FTE.  Given the hight cost of lost beam 
time there is no excuse in having software which is so unreliable.

Ben

On Mon, 7 Jul 2003, Pete R Jemian wrote:

> 
> Dan Legnini is right.
> 
> I ask,
> Is the autosave/restore software the best
> that can be done?
> It's a pitiful world if that is the case.
> 
> That software is responsible for lost beam
> time.  Its failures also open the potential
> for damage to instruments from incorrectly
> restored settings, aside from just being a
> general nuisance when it malfunctions.
> 
> Whether the problems arise from corrupted
> *.sav files or from the restore incorrectly reading
> the *.sav files on reboot or an inability
> to restore some settings consistently,
> THE AUTOSAVE/RESTORE SOFTWARE HAS TO BE FIXED!
> 
> The process of *.sav vs *.savB vs .save.bu files
> reveals one type of problem that is designed into
> the system.
> 
> Is there any consistency check on the file
> as-written to verify that it is correct?
> 
> This is fundamental, facility-level software
> upon which we all depend.  It's got to work right!
> 
> Who will take up the job and fix this?
> 
> Pete
> 
> 
> 
> 
> At 04:36 PM 7/7/2003 -0500, Dan Legnini wrote:
> >our system apparently came back OK this time around, however:
> >
> >we have had significant, recurrent problems with auto s/r.  there are 
> >several help desk entries i've made over the past year, and we have worked 
> >with tim, ron, and others to 'get to the bottom of it'.
> >unfortunately, we have not really determined just what the problem is.
> >
> >our system periodically fails to restore the settings, and every once in a 
> >great while, the positions, as well.  we usually can recover from an older 
> >file, but i find it annoying that the software typically blows away it's 
> >backup if it thinks it restored something.  if it didn't get it right, the 
> >data is gone.
> >
> >i would welcome others becoming involved in collecting experiences and 
> >putting pressure on 'the system' to get this important tool to work more 
> >reliably.
> >
> >--dan
> >
> >On Monday, July 7, 2003, at 04:09 PM, Pete R Jemian wrote:
> >
> >>
> >>Did anyone else have a problem with the
> >>EPICS autosave/restore not recovering
> >>parameters properly after the recent
> >>power outage?
> >>...
> >>Pete Jemian
> >>UNICAT
> >>
> >
> 

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