epics matt bickley accelerator controls software group leader

EPICS

Matt Bickley

Accelerator Controls Software Group Leader

Overview

• What is EPICS?

• EPICS architecture

• EPICS Use at JLab

What is EPICS?• Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System

– See http://www.aps.anl.gov/epics/ for details

• An open-source control system toolkit– Developed at LANL; advanced by APS– All of the pieces needed for a control system

• An implementation of a control system• A collaboration

– Over 100 institutions use the toolkit…many contribute

– Semi-annual meetings– Lively email list (tech-talk@aps.anl.gov)

EPICS architecture

• Network transport layer

• Front-end computer running (real time?) OS

• Back-end clients

Architecture: Network Transport Layer

• Called “Channel Access”• Name-based I/O• Clients poll or subscribe to updates• Transports fundamental data types

– Float, double, string, character, integer– Handles scalar and vectors

• Transports “blobs” for data-knowledgeable clients

• APIs for C/C++, Perl, Tcl, Java (native), Python

Network Data Transfer

• Client broadcasts connection request with name

• Server which hosts that name responds

• Client makes data request or channel connection to server

EPICS Records• A Record is an object with

– A unique name– A behaviour defined by its record type (class)– Controllable properties (fields)– Optional associated hardware I/O (device support)– Links to other records

• Records are active — they can do things:– Get data from other records or from hardware– Perform calculations– Check values are in range & raise alarms– Put data to other records or to hardware– Activate or disable other records– Wait for hardware signals (interrupts)

Building an EPICS Database• Runtime database description files are ASCII• Database generation tools

– VDCT, an open-source Java tool– CAPFAST, a commercial schematic capture tool– Text editors for template generation

VDCT – A Graphical Record View

Computer runningVxWorks, RTEMS, Linux, SunOS…

Valve1

AO/VME

VME

Architecture: Input/Output Controllers (IOCs)

Network (Channel Access)

ChannelAccessServer

Record

Device support

Driver support

StateMachineState

MachineStateMachine

Valve1

AO/VME

VME

Valve1

AO/VME

VME

IOC

MAG1:CURRENT

AO/CIP

CIP

MAG1:CURRENT

AO/CIP

CIP

MAG1:CURRENT

AO/CIP

CIP

Front-end Processing Choices

• Interrupt-driven• On demand• Fixed scan rate

– EPICS defaults are “0.1 second” to “10 second”

• Custom processing– JLab’s fast-feedback system: 1800 Hz

VME-based PPC system

Architecture: IOC Software in One SlideNetwork (Channel Access)

“Supported” Instruments “New” Equipment

[IOC Software]

Device/Driver Support [EPICS-supplied/user-extensible]

EPICS “iocCore” services and routines [EPICS-supplied]

Application Specific Database [of Records]

Application Specific

Programs[e.g. State Notation

Language]

New Device Support

“Supported” Instruments “Supported” Instruments “Supported” Instruments

Shared/Provided Required Optional

TC1:temp

TC2:temp

TC3:temp

TC4:temp

TC5:temp

TC6:temp

TC7:temp

TC8:temp

TC9:temp

TC10:temp

TC15:temp

TC16:temp

TC17:temp

TC18:temp

TC19:temp

TC20:temp

TC11:temp

TC12:temp

TC13:temp

TC14:temp

From: http://www.aps.anl.gov/bcda/epicsgettingstarted/introduction/introductorysession1.htm

Hardware Support by Manufacturer• Acromag • Advanced Control Systems (ACS

)

• Agilent Technologies • Allen-Bradley • American Magnetics, Inc. (AMI) • Analogic • Analytek • Argonne • Automation Direct • BK Precision • BNL/NSLS • Balzers • Bancomm • Berkeley Nucleonics • BiRa • Black Box • Boonton • Burr Brown • CAEN • Canberra • Compumotor • D-TACQ Solutions Ltd • Danfysik • Data Cube • Data Trans • Datel • Delta Tau Data Systems, Inc. • Digital Loggers, Inc. • Dynatem • EG&G Ortec • ESRF • Electronic Systems Design • Eurotherm • Eye-on-Science • GE • GMW Associates • Gigatronics • Granville-Phillips • Health Physics Instruments • Heidenhain • Highland Technology • Huber • Hytec Electronics Ltd • ICS

• ICS Electronics • IE Power • IMS • INCAA • Instrumentation Technologie

s

• Interay • Joerger • Keithley • Kepco • Kinetic Systems • Kontron • Lab Impex Systems • Lakeshore • LeCroy • MAZeT • MKS • MKS Instruments • Maxim • McLennan Servo Supplies • MicroImage Video Systems • Mizar • Modicon • Moller-Wedel • Motorola • National Instruments • Newport • OMS • Ocean Optics Inc. • Omega • Omnibyte • Omron • Ontrack Control Systems • Opto22 • Optodyne • Oriel • Oxford • Oxford Danfysik • Oxford Instruments

• PTS • Paul Scherrer Institute • Pentek • Pep Modular • Physical Electronics • Polyscience • Prema • Puls-Plasmatechnik • ROeNTEC GmbH • Rohde & Schwarz • SBS • SST Inc. • Schneider • Scientific Instrumentation Lt

d./ CLS

• Sensoray • Sorenson • Stanford Research • Struck • Systran • TEWS • Tektronix • Tektronix/CDS • Universal Voltronics • VMIC • Varian • WAGO • Wavetek • Western Telematic (Kontrol) • X-Ray Instr Ass. • XIA • Xycom • ZTEC Instruments Inc. • iseg

Portable Channel-Access Server• Library that supports creation of CA interfaces to

custom software• EPICS client access to alternative control systems

– Labview– OLE for Process Controls (OPC)

• Alternative low-level controls– “Soft” IOC– Proxy IOC

• Communication management– Name server– Gateways

Architecture: Back-end Clients• Gateways

Architecture: Back-end Clients• Synoptic displays: medm, edm dm

Architecture: Back-end Clients• Archivers and archive data viewers

Architecture: Back-end Clients• Alarm handler

Architecture: Back-end Clients• Stripchart

EPICS Use at JLab

• EPICS is used to control

–Accelerator

–CHL

–FEL

–Slow controls of endstations

EPICS Scope at JLab

• Front end systems– 140 IOCs– 350,000 EPICS records– 50,000 hardware control points

• Back end– 30 dedicated operator stations and servers– 50 sporadically used workstations– Archive 50,000 channels– 6,000 edm screens– 100 daily users

Controls Software at JLab• Low-level controls and system tools

– 9 computer scientists• Analysis and high-level applications

– 3 computer scientists• Systems administration

– 4 computer scientists