Development and commissioning of the ALICE pixel detector control system

The Silicon Pixel Detector (SPD) is the innermost detector of the ALICE Inner Tracking System and the closest one to the interaction point. In order to operate the detector in a safe way, a control system was developed in the framework of PVSS which allows to monitor and control a large number of parameters such as temperatures, currents, voltages, etc. The control system of the SPD implements interlock features to protect the detector against overheating and prevents operating it in case of malfunctions. The nearly 50,000 parameters required to fully configure the detector are stored in a database which employs automatic configuration versions after a new calibration run has been carried out. Several user interface panels were developed to allow experts and non-expert shifters to operate the detector in an easy and safe way. This contribution provides an overview of the SPD control system.