1^st EPICS class & workshop - November 11-12, 2008

Date and Location

• Location:
  • Schulungsraum DVEE, SB3 1.239a, GSI
• Time and Date:
  • November 11-12, 9:00 - 17:00

Organizers

• Peter Zumbruch, EE/KS, GSI
• Burkhard Kolb, HADES, GSI

Topic

EPICS Hands-On Course

2-Day class introduction to EPICS - Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System

Participants

• Adamczewski, Jörn, ITEE
• Beck, Dietrich, ITEE
• Brand, Holger, ITEE
• Essel, Hans, ITEE
• Fouedjiou, Linda, ITEE
• Kolb, Burkhard, HADES
• Langer, Christoph, Nuclear reactions
• Nociforo, Chiara, Nuclear structure
• Zumbruch, Peter, ITEE

Agenda

• Take this as a wish list and feel free to modify or write me an E-Mail
  • YES, I know it is too long!

Introductory talks

• EPICS (PZ)
  • EPICSOverview.ppt: EPICS Overview - originally from EPICS Training at Legnaro
    • Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System
    • EPICS @ GSI (PZ)
    • What to do with it?
    • How to use it?
    • How to “write” EPICS?
    • collaboration:
      • tech-talk
    • Channel Access Introduction
• EPICS Database (PZ)
  • EPICS_IOC_database.ppt: Database introduction - originally from EPICS Training at Legnaro
    • What is it?
    • Record Types (ai, ao, bi, bo, mbbi, seq, (d)fanout, genSub)
    • vdct
      • http://www.cosylab.com/solutions/particle_accelerators/VisualDCT/
      • VDCT wiki: http://aps.anl.gov/epics/wiki/index.php/VDCT_Status_Page
      • Run Visual DCT using Java Web Start.
      • Docs:
        • http://visualdct.cosylab.com/builds/VisualDCT/2.5.1271/doc/MAN-VisualDCT_Users_Manual.html
      • Plugins
        • VisualDCT JCA Debug Plugin
        • Archiver Visual DCT Plugin
        • [[http://visualdct.cosylab.com/builds/VisualDCT/2.4.1257/doc/DOC-AlarmHandler_Users_Manual.html[Alarm handler Visual DCT Plugin]]
    • sequencer vs database records
• Big Systems - Design and Maintenance (BK)
  • msi
• Device Support - Introduction (BK)

Tools Overview

• EPICS Clients:
  • medm (BK)
    • medm
    • http://www.aps.anl.gov/bcda/epicsgettingstarted/starttools/medm.htm
  • alh (BK)
    • export ALARMHANDLER=<path to your alarmhandler config.alhConfig>
    • https://epics-controls.org/extensions/alh/index.php
    • xxx.alhConfig
      GROUP NULL xxxGroup
INCLUDE xxxGroup zzz.alhConfig

    • zzz.alhConfig
      GROUP NULL test
GROUP test test1
CHANNEL test1 beck:mySawTooth
$ALIAS aliasing keyword
$GUIDANCE
this is not a helpful hint
$END
$STATCOMMAND HIGH medm -x xxx.adl

  • burt (BK) - Backup and restore tool
    • https://epics-controls.org/extensions/burt/index.php
  • Channel Archiver (BK) - (deferred)
  • CSS (PZ) - (deferred)

Interface

• LabView (HB) - Presentation
• DIM (deferred)

Hands-On

• Preparation (PZ) *
  $> . epics
• Database Exercise
  • 20081114124031385.pdf: Database Excercise (INFN/LNR 2008 EPICS Training)
  • Record Database Wiki : https://epics-controls.org/wiki/index.php/RRM_3-14
• MakeBaseApp.pl (PZ)
• CSS (PZ) - (deferred)
• Agilent Power supply (BK)
  • http://cp.literature.agilent.com/litweb/pdf/5989-1330EN.pdf
  • asynDriver
    • st.cmd
      ...
drvAsynIPPortConfigure ("ps002" ,"hadpszzz.gsi.de:xxyy") ; where xxy is the port number

...
  • streamDevice
    • .db files
      field (OUT, "@Agilent.proto debug ps002 ")
field (DTYP, "stream")
    • protocol - file Agilent.proto:
      #
# Agilent.proto (stream device protocol file)
#
# Genesys/Agilent/Lambda DC Power Supply
# Connect a stringout record to this to get
# a generic command interface.
# After processing finishes, the record contains the reply.
debug {
ExtraInput = Ignore;
out "%s"; in "%39c"}

    • st.cmd
      ...
epicsEnvSet ("STREAM_PROTOCOL_PATH","...some path...")
...