Re: AAI/AAO database information

[Andrew Johnson <anj@aps.anl.gov>]

David Dudley wrote:
> I've seen references to AAI and AAO records someplace, which I assume
> are Array Analog Input and Output.  Is support for that put in the
> device driver?

The aai and aao records are a bit of an anachronism; they're not really 
used very much, there's no soft or test device support included in Base, 
and they're not documented anywhere either.  I think they were 
contributed by one site a long time ago, and we just haven't got around 
to removing them yet (they'll be gone if R3.15 is ever released).

> I have a condition working with the Multilin control relays, where I
> need to be able to generate a multiple register output sequence,
> where the entire sequence is done in a single record. This would fit
> that perfectly, I think.

Use a waveform record if you want device support where the whole array 
comes from a CA client.  However if you're going to want to be able to 
set some individual elements from another record they you'll be much 
better off writing device support that takes the higher level parameters 
and combines them into the appropriate array/sequence internally.

- Andrew
--
There is considerable overlap between the intelligence of the smartest
bears and the dumbest tourists -- Yosemite National Park Ranger