Data at FACET

FACET does not require Users to follow a particular data management scheme. Users should discuss their needs and plans with the FACET User Manager prior to implementation.

Users of FACET are responsible for complying with the data management and curation policies of their home institutions and funding agents and authorities.

Resources provided to FACET Users:

• SLAC Computing Accounts (Windows, UNIX, Exchange)
• Access to FACET Controls Network
• SLAC visitor wireless
• Workstations on secure controls network
• Workstations on SLAC Public network
• Networked storage drives on FACET Controls Network
• NFS storage on SLAC Public network (RAID backup) maintained by SLAC computing division

The majority of FACET Users utilize the computers and networks provided in the FACET User Building (B244) and in the Accelerator Control Room (ACR) to collect their data through the SLAC EPICS and SLC control systems.  FACET users are also welcome to bring their own DAQ systems which can be stand alone systems or networked in B244.

The data collected per experiment tends to be extremely small: ~ few TB of mostly images with MATLAB binary data files. The data format and content are defined by the user groups that write their own DAQ scripts to acquire parameters of specific interest. The data is generally single use—the experiment data is analyzed quickly and the results published or used to propose the next experimental run. 

NFS storage lifetime is anticipated to last for approximately 5 years matched to the timescale of the experimental program.

Users may copy subsets of the data to their individual computers or off-site servers for data analysis.
Please see our FAQ for specific details on how to access data and use our provided resources.

Example of how E-200 uses the available tools for their data management: 

FACET data that is acquired with the E200 Data Acquisition Software is saved locally to the NAS drive on the Accelerator Network. Every morning at 8AM, the data is copied to an NFS directory on SCCS machines. On a weekly basis, data is copied from NFS to local hard drives in Building 52. These hard drives are maintained by the E-200 group. Data is never deleted from NFS or the local hard drives in B52.