Sekoranja, M.

Paper	Title	Page
MOD005	Evolution of the EPICS Channel Access Protocol	40
	K. Zagar, M. Sekoranja Cosylab, Ljubljana L. R. Dalesio BNL, Upton, Long Island, New York M. R. Kraimer ANL, Argonne
	Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) is one of the most widely deployed control system infrastructures in large experimental physics community. At EPICS' foundation are 1) the real-time process database, which allows integrators to build the control system from reusable building blocks (e.g., device drivers) into a coherent whole without much coding or other kind of development, and 2) the Channel Access protocol, which allows the database to be distributed across several computers in a scalable way. In this contribution, we describe the objectives of the next major EPICS release (v4). In particular, we focus on the improvements of the Channel Access protocol that will allow it to support additional functionality, such as structured process variable data (pvData) and client-specified filters. We also describe how this functionality is implemented while simultaneously further improving the Channel Access' performance (no-copy get, flow control improvements, beacon traffic reduction, zero-length queues, etc.). We also discuss potential for future improvements, such as use of IP multicast and a layer for implementing remote-procedure call style of communication.
	Slides
TUP101	ALMA Common Software (ACS), Status and Development	313
	G. Chiozzi, A. Caproni, B. Jeram, J. Schwarz, H. Sommer ESO, Garching bei Muenchen J. A. Avarias NRAO, Socorro, New Mexico R. Cirami INAF-OAT, Trieste A. Grimstrup University of Calgary, NW Calgary, Alberta A. A. Hoffstadt, J. S. Lopez UTFSM, Valparaíso M. Sekoranja Cosylab, Ljubljana N. Troncoso ALMA, Joint ALMA Observatory, Santiago H. Yatagai NAOJ, Tokyo
	ACS provides the infrastructure for the software of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array and other projects. Using CORBA middleware, ACS supports the development of component-based software, from high-level user interfaces down to the hardware device level. It hides the complexity of CORBA beneath an API that allows the application developer to focus on domain-specific programming. Although ACS, now at release 8, has been used operationally by the APEX radio telescope and at the ALMA Test Facility, the commissioning of ALMA in Chile brings major challenges: new hardware, remote operation and, most important, upscaling from 2 to 60+ antennas. Work now turns to scalability and improving the tools to simplify remote debugging. To further identify potential problems, the University of Eindhoven is formally analysing ACS. Meanwhile, new developments are underway, both to respond to newly identified needs of ALMA, and those of other projects planning to use ACS. Examples include the refactoring of the interface to the CORBA Notify Service, integration with the Data Distribution Service, generation of state machine code from abstract models and of Python binding classes from XML schema.
	Poster
THP047	A New DAQ Installation for the SIS18 Beam Position Monitoring System at GSI	759
	T. Hoffmann, K. Höppner, P. Kowina, K. Lang, M. Schwickert GSI, Darmstadt J. Bobnar, G. Jansa, S. Sah, M. Sekoranja, I. Verstovsek Cosylab, Ljubljana
	The BPM system for the heavy ion synchrotron SIS18 consists of 12 shoe-box pick-ups. Their analog signals are digitized by Libera Hadron units, manufactured by I-Tech, Slovenia. In addition, the Libera is used for an FPGA based online position calculation. Due to this high rate of 12 times 60 MB/s at 5 MHz bunch frequency, a dedicated 10 bit network is used to concentrate the data from all Liberas on two concentrator PCs. Besides all control actions, these PCs are running the DAQ server applications, developed and produced within the CERN made Front-End Software Architecture (FESA).These servers are also used for further data manipulation such as tune and closed orbit measurements. As a mediator between the FESA front-end and the JAVA GUI application level, the CMW/RDA middleware, also developed at CERN, is used. Due to the modular layout, the system is already extensible for the SIS 100 and SIS300 BPM systems at the Facility of Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR). The implementation of the high speed data transfer, the FESA servers and the Java GUI application is presented.