Re: LabView-EPICS Integration using SoftIoc

["Mostafa, Jalal \(IPE\) via Tech-talk" <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>]

Hi Ned,

Timestamps would be coming from the LabView system in both cases.

- With the solution of the asynDriver, the timestamp would be a timestamp generated by real-time device with respect to the sensor.

- With shadowing the LabVIEW-based server, the timestamp would be the one that has been generated by the LabVIEW-based server. (Another disadvantage for NI EPICS module is that you cannot use TSE and TSEL)

Jalal

This is the best that we can do for timestamps.

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From: Arnold, Ned D. <nda at anl.gov>
Sent: Monday, November 2, 2020 3:27:31 PM
To: tech-talk at aps.anl.gov; Mostafa, Jalal (IPE)
Subject: Re: LabView-EPICS Integration using SoftIoc

 

Another issue to consider is the timestamps applied to the EPICS records ...

• Do they come from the LabView system or from the IOC?
• How accurate can you make the timestamp?

  Ned

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From: Tech-talk on behalf of Mostafa, Jalal (IPE) via Tech-talk
Sent: Monday, November 2, 2020 07:44 AM
To: tech-talk at aps.anl.gov
Subject: LabView-EPICS Integration using SoftIoc

Hi all!

We have many systems from NI that we would like to integrate with EPICS
for the KATRIN experiment (katrin.kit.edu)
The old control system was written in LabView but we would like to
replace it with EPICS without rewriting the code again. Therefore, we
are looking for a nice LabView-EPICS integration.

We have seen two options for LabView:
- CALAB which does not work with realtime devices
- Official NI EPICS module. It is good but I can list several problems:
huge loss of EPICS features (it is only an implementation of CA plus
alarming, the other metadata and configuration fields are not available)
- not very developer-friendly (adding/removing PVs relies on shared
variables so it is time consuming)

Another two solutions we thought of:
1. Using AsynDriver and communicate with the realtime device using a TCP
protocol
2. Running an EPICS server on the realtime device using NI EPICS module
then shadowing it with a SoftIoc using CA links.
(a softIoc server running with input and output records to read and
write to the original LabView EPICS server)

I have several concerns here:
- Am I missing any other way to integrate LabView with EPICS? I would
like to hear from your experiences.

- Although solution (1) is time consuming, I am in favor of it but let's
check if we can do it more easily with solution (2). Anyway, can the
experts comment on its feasibility?

- Solution (2): What do you think about performance? Alarms? I/O Intr
are not available on a softIoc, so the developer has to use periodic
SCAN. How can I add custom SCAN periods?

Thanks for your help.

Best,

Jalal