Re: [EXTERNAL] Does every DB record need to produce a PV?

["Hartman, Steven via Tech-talk" <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>]

To follow on Kay’s example of a much larger hierarchical name space . . . How often you find yourself needing to say “h t t p s colon slash slash w w w dot . . .”?

PVs also rarely need to be spoken. Most often, they are accessed by clicking a graphical user interface. Internal naming standards at each facility function as your ICANN to ensure uniqueness of names. If you decide you need a centralized EPICS name service, options are available for that, too. 

-- 

Steven Hartman

hartmansm at ornl.gov

On Feb 17, 2026, at 12:34 PM, David Bracey via Tech-talk <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov> wrote:

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I would think the basic problem with a system with many names and no centralized naming authority is namespace pollution and potential duplication.

 

I feel that the practice of hierarchical names is not good for usability.  Our operators speak the names of devices to each other all day long.  I can’t imagine them having to say “colon … colon … colon … colon”.

 

From: Sukhanov, Andrei <sukhanov at bnl.gov>
Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 11:12 AM
To: tech-talk at aps.anl.gov <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>, David Bracey <dbracey at fnal.gov>, Mark Rivers <rivers at cars.uchicago.edu>
Subject: Re: Does every DB record need to produce a PV?

[EXTERNAL] – This message is from an external sender

Mark, Kai,
The multitude of the PVs, not related to real device parameters, may pose real trouble for end users. For example, we were provided with an EPICS-driven PSC (power supply controller). The controller itself has ~200 of control parameters. But the IOC hosts ~2000 of PVS. This is just not manageable without tight support from original designers.

/Andrey Sukhanov,

Collider-Accelerator Department, BNL.

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From: Tech-talk <tech-talk-bounces at aps.anl.gov> on behalf of Mark Rivers via Tech-talk <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2026 11:54 AM
To: tech-talk at aps.anl.gov <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>; David Bracey <dbracey at fnal.gov>
Subject: Re: Does every DB record need to produce a PV?

 

Hi Dave, A naïve user of EPICS would think that every database record of every IOC gets exposed as a PV. Note that there is not a 1: 1 relationship between records and PVs. Even simple records like "bi" expose many record fields as

Hi Dave,

 

• A naïve user of EPICS would think that every database record of every IOC gets exposed as a PV.

 

Note that there is not a 1:1 relationship between records and PVs.  Even simple records like "bi" expose many record fields as PVs, not just the .VAL field.  For example, the .SCAN, .ZNAM, .ONAM, .SDIS, .DESC, and many more.  More complex records like the "motor" record have dozens of PVs, like .VELO, .ACCL, .STOP, .DVAL, .RVAL, etc.

 

Mark

 

 

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From: Tech-talk <tech-talk-bounces at aps.anl.gov> on behalf of David Bracey via Tech-talk <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2026 10:15 AM
To: tech-talk at aps.anl.gov <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>
Subject: Does every DB record need to produce a PV?

 

A naïve user of EPICS would think that every database record of every IOC gets exposed as a PV.

 

Is this truly the case?  If so, has any mechanism for hiding the “internal” records ever been discussed?

 

The PV-space of an EPICS deployment seems very crowded.

 

Dave Bracey

AD Controls

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory