ZOOM ZOOM

A Uniform Version of CLHEP, with Selective Validation

The ZOOM CLHEP package represents our approach to making these available in a standardized form, for Fermilab Run2 experimenters.

Contents:

• Organization of the ZOOM CLHEP Repository
• VALIDATED and to-be-validated Sub-Pacakges

  Random

  StdHepC++

• PRESENT sub-packages, available "as is"

CLHEP Releases and ZOOM Validation -- recent developments

• StdHepC++, a New ZOOM-validated package in CLHEP.
  A C++ implementation of StdHep, which contains a set of translation routines which convert Herwig, Jetset, Isajet, or QQ events to and from standard formats including the HEP event format.

• Random package enhancements, since the last news on this page, include:
  • Stateless table-driven distributions RandGaussT and RandPoisson
  • Quicker (but only 8-digit perfect versions RandGaussQ and RandPoissonQ
  • RandLandau distribution
  • RandMultiGauss distribution
  • NonRandomEngine, useful class for testing code that uses a random engine by supplying a sequence

Archive of previous (outdated) information.

Organization of ZOOM CLHEP Repository

Its "editors" (as of 1/21/98) are

• Andreas Pfeiffer, CERN IT/API (editor-in-chief)
• Nobu Katayama, KEK, Belle -- Matrix --
• Gabriele Cosmo, CERN, GEANT-4 -- Random --
• Evgueni Tcherniaev, CERN, GEANT-4 -- Vector, Geometry --
• Mark Fischler, FNAL -- Random --
• Lynn Garren, FNAL -- StdHepC++ --
• Bob Jacobsen, LBL, BaBar
• Leif Lönnblad, Nordita, Lund (RD44)

The ZOOM CLHEP package represents our approach to making these available in a standardized form, for Fermilab Run2 experimenters.

The approach is to categorize each sub-package of CLHEP as either:

• PRESENT
  The sub-package is available through the ZOOM CLHEP repository, but ZOOM involvement is limited to:
  1. Checking that the code compiles on all the ZOOM-supported platforms.
  2. Learning the identity of the sub-package's editor.
  3. Feeding back the changes necessary for compilation.
  4. Forwarding bug reports and suggestions from the FNAL community.
  5. At times, guided by the Run2 Steering Committee, updating the sub-package to reflect CLHEP improvements.
     Updates will not be done if they involve re-doing work that had been fed back to CLHEP but is still absent from their distribution.
  We are providing these copies for convenience but make no assertion that a given package is appropriate for use or validated for correctness.
  

• VALIDATED
  These sub-packages are a full-fledged components of ZOOM, each filling a need in our user community. In addition to all the elements for "PRESENT" sub-packages, the ZOOM task force has verified (by doing some work ourselves if necessary) that:
  6. The concepts, semantics and user interface are reasonable.
  7. The sub-package contains adequate tests to be reasonably certain of its proper behavior.
  8. The available documentation is adequate.
  9. There are no obvious missing pieces -- of value to our users -- in the functionality supported.
  10. Somebody (if necessary, ZOOM) is committed to maintaining the sub-package -- especially accepting and responding to bug reports.

      In addition, by saying we have "VALIDATED" a sub-package, ZOOM implies a commitment to:

      1. Feed back to the CLHEP author/editors any certification tests, documentation, bug-fixes, or extensions devloped by ZOOM.
      2. Collect input from our users as to problems encountered and desirable extensions, and feed these back to the CLHEP editors.
      3. Accept upgrades made by CLHEP and provide the upgraded sub-package in a timely fashion.

      We are asserting that each VALIDATED sub-package is suitable for use by our community, and ZOOM has no intention of producing a new package with similar functionality.

  Although the validation process may include testing and development of missing features, the idea is to stick with the established interface and implementation. Thus the amount of work required of ZOOM will be much less than for a from-scratch development. The benefits, of course, are uniformity within the HEP community, and compatability with code already using these classes.

Validated Sub-Packages

(Links in italics are to CLHEP web pages or documentation.)

HEP Random

Random number engines and random numbers generated according to a variety of distributions.
Validation, extensions, and corrections are discussed in detail on the
CLHEP Random ZOOM Validation Page.

• Testing for Proper Behavior of CLHEP Random sub-package
  • Random Engine Validation
    We have applied the "DIEHARD" suite of statistical tests to each of the engines: Results
  • Distribution Generator Validation

StdHepC++

Standardized particle and event classes and utilities for converting among various event generators and simulation packages.

Developed by L. Garren at FNAL.

Present Sub-Packages

The extent of ZOOM work on these is that we have made them compile on the ZOOM reference platforms, and have fed back (and will continue to feed back) the necessary changes to the CLHEP authors/editors.

These CLHEP components are presented "as is" and ZOOM makes no representation as to their usefulness or correctness.

Originally this category was to be called "AS IS" but the European HEP community has made use of that terminology in another context.

Unless otherwise indicated, each of these CLHEP sub-packages in the ZOOM repository reflect the contents of CLHEP Version 1.1 .