COVID19 - Remote Participation in Experiments

Please note, this page is a work in progress, viewing has been restricted to staff with editing privileges and should be removed when it is ready for public viewing.

Overview

The LCLS provides a number of tools that allow users and staff to participate remotely in experiments while access to the site is restricted due to COVID-19 safety protocols.  These were demonstrated in the LCLS User Town Hall held on July 23, 2020.  This page will provide an overview of tools for external (incl. users) and internal (staff only) use, and provides links to pages with additional details such as installation and usage guides, as well as minimum system requirements.

Public Tools for Users

The LCLS provides a number of internally developed and 3rd party tools to share information before, during, and following an experiment.  At all times during the process, the spokesperson and collaborators should continue to communicate directly with their assigned LCLS Point of Contact, and use the standard tools such as the Experiment Questionnaire and Electronic Log Book of Experiment, "eLog", (links below).

In addition to these historical tools, the LCLS provides video-conferencing capabilities through zoom, and high definition, read-only, screen sharing through video streaming.

Network Speed-test

Before your beam-time, perform a Network Speed Test to verify the speed of your network connection to SLAC, and fill out the associated survey while testing out the other tools listed below.

Video-conferencing

The LCLS will provide real-time interactive video conferencing via  for each experiment.  For details, please refer to our Zoom User Guide.

Video Streaming

Each hutch control room will be equipped with a streaming host.

• Each of the other computers in the control room will have one of their monitors duplicated on the streaming host.
• The shared monitors will appear on the streaming host as webcams
• The shared monitor webcams can be used in Zoom, Slack, and other applications just like other webcams
• The shared monitor webcams can also be opened for viewing on the streaming host desktop view
• The streaming host desktop view will be made available as an embedded, non-interactive video stream via pswww

This allows viewers to get information from each hutch control room computer with minimal additional load on the computers or the operator(s).

Software Applications Provided by LCLS

• Run-18 Experiment Questionnaire

• Electronic log book of experiment - new and improved for Run 18!

• EPICS Archive Viewer
• And more; see the full list at: https://pswww.slac.stanford.edu/index.html

Internal Tools

Internally, we are using or developing additional remote access tools.  They are described here for information purposes.  If you believe your experiment would benefit from the use of these tools, contact your LCLS experiment Point of Contact.

Interactive chat software

Stanford University maintains an enterprise license to the slack chat application.  Here is the getting started guide from University IT. External guests from can be added to specific channels upon request and LCLS agreement, discuss with your LCLS Point of Contact.

Remote Access Software

To support remote operations a dedicated NoMachine Terminal Server has been deployed: psnxopr.slac.stanford.edu.

Then, NoMachine Enterprise Desktop will be installed on all DAQ workstations. 

The following link provides guidelines to configure NoMachine Client: Remote Visualization.

To access the DAQ workstation, use the following steps:

1. Access or create a new desktop session. 
   
2. Select the NoMachine icon on the upper right to get a drop down menu, then select the control room workstation:
3. A new window requesting login access will appear
   
4. After login, the operator will have to grant authorization for view-only mode on a selected or default monitor.
5. As the remote user, any display can be accessed
   1. After access has been confirmed by the operator, select the menu option
      
   2. On the menu screen, select change monitor icon
      
   3. Then select the monitor to visualize its displayed content or All to see all monitors. (This setup has only 3 monitors)
      

Robotic assistants

LCLS has acquired a number of Remote Presence Robots which we are evaluating for use in experimental areas while the beam is active and personnel-access is restricted.