Experimental Physics and
Industrial Control System

Pete Jemian via Tech-talk <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov> · Sat, 7 Aug 2021 17:06:07 -0500

The issue starts when using the base-7.0.6 softIoc.

Using docker image prjemian/epics-base-7.0.5 image, same error happens with 7.0.5

(base) prjemian@zap:~$ docker run -it --rm prjemian/epics-base-7.0.5
root@e14c2b978649:/opt/base-7.0.5# touch /opt/test.db
root@e14c2b978649:/opt/base-7.0.5# nano /opt/test.db
root@e14c2b978649:/opt/base-7.0.5# cat /opt/test.db
record(calc, "test_calc")
{
    field(SCAN, "1 second")
    field(CALC, "RNDM*100")
}
root@e14c2b978649:/opt/base-7.0.5# softIoc -d /opt/test.db
Starting iocInit
############################################################################
## EPICS R7.0.5
## Rev. 2021-05-11T02:44+0000
############################################################################
iocRun: All initialization complete
epics> dbl
test_calc
epics>

Now, in separate terminal, apply Kay's command line test:

(base) prjemian@zap:~$ caput -S test_calc.CALC$ "300"
Old : test_calc.CALC$ RNDM*100
New : test_calc.CALC$ 3NDM*100

On 8/7/2021 2:35 PM, Kasemir, Kay via Tech-talk wrote:

Hi:

I subsequently tried out on EPICS base version 7.0.3.1 ..
It works fine ..
I am suspecting the bug may be due to newer version of EPICS.

Looks like you found a problem in R7.0.6.
Take this example record, executed by softIoc:

record(calc, "test_calc")
{
     field(SCAN, "1 second")
     field(CALC, "RNDM*100")
}

$ caget -S test_calc.CALC$
test_calc.CALC$ RNDM*100

$ caput -S test_calc.CALC$ "300"
Old : test_calc.CALC$ RNDM*100
CA.Client.Exception...............................................
     Warning: "Channel write request failed"
     Context: "op=1, channel=test_calc.CALC$, type=DBR_CHAR, count=4, ctx="test_calc""
     Source File: ../oldChannelNotify.cpp line 159
     Current Time: Sat Aug 07 2021 15:27:54.755166000
..................................................................
New : test_calc.CALC$ 3NDM*100

.. and the softIoc shows this error:

Illegal field value PV: test_calc calc: Illegal CALC field
test_calc.CALC: Syntax error, unknown operator/operand in expression "3NDM*100"

So the IOC didn't receive "300" as written, it only took "3" _and_ kept the rest of the previous CALC field value.

When instead using R7.0.4.1, all works fine.
In fact the test also succeeds with softIoc from R7.0.4.1 and caget/caput from base-7.0.6.
The issue starts when using the base-7.0.6 softIoc.

-Kay

--
----------------------------------------------------------
Pete R. Jemian, Ph.D.                 <jemian at anl.gov>
Beam line Controls and Data Acquisition (BC, aka BCDA)
Advanced Photon Source,    Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne, IL  60439                    630 - 252 - 3189
-----------------------------------------------------------
      Education is the one thing for which people
         are willing to pay yet not receive.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System

Experimental Physics and
Industrial Control System