Neutron Scattering Portal

About the Portal

This  site is to let you know about a new way we're managing and providing data and computing to neutron scattering facility users. For SNS and HFIR, we have developed an automated system that flows data from the data acquisition system (DAS) into the data management system via a process we call "live cataloging." During this process, data are packaged and placed in the data archive. Data are organized by facility/instrument/proposal, with access restricted to experiment team members, instrument team, and administrative personnel. If the principal investigator wishes, these data can be made public. Data are then made available to people via a web portal that provides download, viewing, inspection, and search tools. Currently, the portal serves facility users at SNS and HFIR only, but future plans include hosting data from the IPNS, LENS, and Lujan facilities as well.

To enter the portal, you must first have a username and password and then be granted access to the relevant computing resources. We use the ORNL "XCAMS" user authentication system. Once you obtain an XCAMS user ID and password, the next step is to request access to portal and computing resources, typically requested according to the instrument you will be using.

Gaining Access to the Portal

1. Get an XCAMS user ID
2. Request access to computer resources

Services Provided

In addition to data management, (including tools such as data reduction and 2D visualization), computing resources are also available that provide access to both facility-developed and community-produced applications. These applications are made available both on-site at the instrument analysis computer and as remote applications running on our computers but being displayed on your remote computer display.

A New Way of Working

Many of the data sets produced by SNS instruments could be too large to effectively process on personal computers. The portal environment is well suited to help with this, as data and computing are kept in proximity to each other. Once you sign up for your portal account, a portal home area is created for you. Applications can access data in the data repository and place results in your home area, where they can be further processed, examined, or downloaded for use locally. Thus, a new environment is being created that combines using both local and remote computing resources.

Questions

Steve Miller — (millersd@ornl.gov)