Methodology for the integration of the array control and data acquisition system with array elements of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory
Abstract
The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) is the next-generation atmospheric Cherenkov gammaray Observatory. CTAO will be constructed on two sites, one array in the Northern and the other in the Southern hemisphere, containing telescopes of three different sizes, for covering different energy domains. To combine and orchestrate the different telescopes and auxiliary instruments (array elements), the Array Control and Data Acquisition (ACADA) system is the central element for the Observatory on-site operations: it controls, supervises, and handles the data generated by the array elements. Considering the criticality of the ACADA system for future Observatory operations, corresponding quality assurance provisions have been made at the different steps of the software development lifecycle, with focus on continuous integration and testing at all levels. To enable higher-level tests of the software deployed on a distributed system, an ACADA test cluster has been set up to facilitate testing and debugging of issues in a more realistic environment. Furthermore, a separate software integration and test cluster has also been established that allows for the off-site testing of the integrated software packages of ACADA and of the corresponding array elements. Here the software integration can be prepared, interfaces and interactions can be tested, and on-site procedures that are required later in the process can be checked beforehand, only limited by the simulation capabilities that are delivered as part of the software packages. Once preparations and testing with the off-site test cluster are completed, the integrated software can be deployed at the target site. The software packages and setup parameters are kept under configuration control at all stages, and deployment steps are documented to ensure that installations are reproducible. This methodology has been applied for the first time in the context of the integration of ACADA with the first CTAO Large-sized Telescope (LST-1) in October 2023.
