2^nd PANDA - EPICS tutorial & workshop - December 13, 2011

Date and Location

• Location:
  • PANDA XXXIX. Collaboration Meeting, KBW Seminar Room, GSI
• Time and Date:
  • December 13, 2011, 11:00 - 13:00

Organizers:

• Peter Zumbruch, ITEE/KS, GSI, Germany
• Florian Feldbauer, University of Bochum, Germany

Participants:

• PANDA
• NuSTAR
• else

Topic

EPICS tutorial

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

Introductory talks

• EPICS (PZ)
  • EPICSOverview.ppt: EPICS Overview - originally from EPICS Training at Legnaro
    • Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System
    • What to do with it?
    • How to use it?
    • How to “write” EPICS?
    • collaboration:ENDBGCDIV
      • tech-talk
    • Channel Access Introduction
• EPICS Database (PZ)
  • EPICS_Database_in_one_hour_KK.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 or download
      • Docs:
        • http://visualdct.cosylab.com/builds/VisualDCT/2.5.1271/doc/MAN-VisualDCT_Users_Manual.html
    • sequencer vs database records

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Tools Overview (FB)

• EPICS Clients:
  • CSS Control System Suite: http://cs-studio.sourceforge.net

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hadcon streamDevice IOC / Accessing serial ASCII device via StreamDevice/Asyn

• by-hand/telnet
  1. login to hadcon via telnet (twice → a/b)
     
     $ telnet etraxXYZ
  2. a) open listener:
     
     $ cat /dev/ttyS1
  3. b) send command:
     
     $ echo "VERS" > /dev/ttyS1
  4. a) will respond:
     
     $ RECV VERS 4.3
• via EPICS using streamDevice:
  1. have an installation of EPICS
     • base
     • modules
       • streamDevice
       • asyn
       • (msi)
  2. create example IOC TOP directory
     
     $ mkdir -p <myTopDir> && cd <myTopDir>
  3. create example IOC
     
     $ makeBaseApp.pl -t ioc <myApp>
$ makeBaseApp.pl -t ioc <myApp>
  4. extend configure/RELEASE file for streamDevice support
     add to it:
     1. ASYN=$(EPICS_HOME)/modules/soft/asyn/asyn-4.9
     2. STREAM=$(EPICS_HOME)/modules/soft/StreamDevice
  5. build streamDevice extended example IOC
     
     $ cd <myTopDir> && make
  6. make protocol directory
     
     $ mkdir -p <myApp>App/protocols && cd <myAppr>App/protocols
  7. create protocol file <myProto>.proto
     1. header:
        
        Terminator = LF;
LockTimeout = 5000;
ReplyTimeout = 4000;
ReadTimeout = 500;
WriteTimeout = 3000;
ExtraInput = Ignore;


     2. basic debug protocol function:
        
        # Connect a stringin record to this to get
# a generic command interface.
# After processing finishes, the record contains the reply.

debug {
       ExtraInput = Ignore;
       out "%s";
       in "%39c";
}

     3. create your own protocol function to get the return value of VERS command
        • up to you as string %s or float %f
        • solution to come
  8. create your database
     1. change to Db database directory
        
        $ cd <myTopDir>App/Db
     2. create db file <myDb>.db (by hand or by using vdct:
        1. stringin debug record:
           
           record(stringin, "$(PREFIX)$(HADCON):debug)") {
       field(DTYP, "stream")
       field(SCAN, "Passive")
       field(OUT, "@<myProto>.proto debug $(device)")
}

        2. create your new records stringin, ai
        • up to you as string %%s or float %%f
        • solution to come
     3. edit Makefile
        • add line: DB += <myDb>.db
     4. make
        
        $ make
  9. edit your start-up configuration file st.cmd
     1. change to ioc database directory
        
        $ cd iocBoot/ioc<myAppr>
     2. edit st.cmd
        1. add correct path to protocols
           
           epicsEnvSet("STREAM_PROTOCOL_PATH", "$(TOP)/<myAppr>App/protocols")
        2. add register entry
           
           streamHadcon_registerRecordDeviceDriver pdbbase
        3. add asyn serial port configuration, e.g.
           
           drvAsynSerialPortConfigure("hadcon","/dev/ttyS1",0,0,0)
       asynSetOption("hadcon",0,"baud","115200")
       asynSetOption("hadcon",0,"bits","8")
       asynSetOption("hadcon",0,"parity","none")
       asynSetOption("hadcon",0,"stop","1")
       asynSetOption("hadcon",0,"clocal","Y")
       asynSetOption("hadcon",0,"crtscts","N")
        4. add your database instance <myDb>.db, e.g.
           
           dbLoadRecords ("db/<myDb>.db", "HADCON=${HOSTNAME}, PREFIX=PANDA:IOC:, device=hadcon")
        5. optional export and the end of script your record names to a file , e.g.
           
           dbl > ${TOP}/iocBoot/${IOC}/${HOSTNAME}.dbl
  10. start your ioc
      
      $ cd iocBoot/ioc<myAppr>
$ ../../bin/<operating system>-<architecture>\<myApp> st.cmd
  11. use caput, caget, camonitor, or CSS, or any other client to test it

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Examples

• Have a look at the other extended tutorials and their examples of EpicsTraining