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Jefferson Lab Report. Karen S. White. Status. EPICS is performing well. We continue to occasionally have a problem when switching between CA Security configurations. System Growth. Managing a Large EPICS System. Segmentation Growth Managing access and traffic Diagnostics Standardization
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Jefferson Lab Report Karen S. White
Status • EPICS is performing well. • We continue to occasionally have a problem when switching between CA Security configurations
Managing a Large EPICS System • Segmentation • Growth • Managing access and traffic • Diagnostics • Standardization • Change Management
Segmentation • System divided into 13 independent segments to facilitate: • Availability • Resource Management • Maintenance • Each segment has its own server, network, IOCs, etc • Except – a single Oracle database server is shared between all segments
Growth • Upgrades to accommodate growth • Faster IOCs • More IOCs • More Memory on IOCs • More Unix Consoles • More Memory on Unix Consoles • More Network Bandwidth
Nameserver • Nameserver • Reduces IOC load and network traffic due to broadcast for name resolution • Provides PV location info to tools that do not need to connect • Improves client connection time (2x) • Used by all operations client for ~1.5 years – very reliable – no failures • Handles over 6 million requests per day
Gateway • From APS/BESSY • Used to group multiple requests for the same signal • Concentrates communication from many clients to a single client • Reduces IOC load and network traffic due to broadcasts for name resolution • Reduces the number of connections to IOCs • Facilitates easy management of access from different CS segments
Standardization • Standardization of common elements can improve developer productivity and software maintainability. Examples: • PIOC • General purpose tool built on PCAS • Developer does not need to know details • Ensures consistent usage • Standardized Serial, GPIB & PLC drivers
Diagnostics • Alarms – warns of oncoming IOC problems (be careful what you put on IOCs) • Monitoring of Unix and network resources • Diagnostic program to check for hardware communication errors • Status pages with IOC information • Control System startup and checkout procedures
Controlled Change • With a large number of developers and applications, changes must be well planned and documented • Versioning • Roll back procedures • Testplans with auto e-logs
General Comments • Keeping a large EPICS system up and running requires careful planning, diagnostics, monitoring • The development and maintenance processes are made more efficient by using standards, versioning and release control