Configuring a PC as an EPICS Server

Robert Lewis

Christiana Grenoble

1-17-06

Abstract: Instructions on how to configure a PC as an EPICS CAServer using ActiveX software.

EPICS is a set of tools, typically used in a UNIX environment, that provide data acquisition, supervisory control, data logging and alarm management for instruments typically connected to a network. EPICS tools use channel access (CA) for network communication between CAclients and CAservers. [1]

LabVIEW is a graphical programming interface application based in C. A programmer using LabVIEW writes code by wiring icons together. Each icon is a program instruction or a set of instructions. This paper describes how to configure a Windows pc to be a Channel Access Server over a TCIP network. Once the computer is configured, a simple LabView program will be used to acquire data from an IOC.

Configuring a Windows NT PC to be a EPICS CAClient or CAServer[2]

  1. The CAServer60 binaries were available for download under

and still might be.

Contact to learn about new versions. Place the unzipped files in a folder on the hard drive.

For the purposes of this paper, the folder containing all of the unzipped files will be called …\LV_to_EPICS.

  1. Run …\LV_to_EPICS \RegisterNT_2000.bat. The computer will beep indicating that the software was installed and the registration was successful.
  2. Check the register to ensure software was installed correctly.
  3. Click the Start button.
  4. Select Run…
  5. Type regedit.
  6. Look under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT for EpicsCAServer.ProcessVariable and

EpicsCAClient.ProcessVariable . Please note, in the instructions that come with the download, under the ActiveX Interface COM Registration, the instructions state ‘ Check e.g. the “EpicsCAServer.ProcessVariable/CLSID”, it looks like{5F190F33-E77D-11D2-8F1D-00105AC8D47C}.’ The previous class id number was listed under EpicsCAClient.ProcessVariable/CLSID/ when I installed the software on my pc and the software works correctly.

  1. Look under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/CLSID/ for

{5F190F33-E77D-11D2-8F1D-00105AC8D47C}. Double click the ID to open the folder. The entry for “LocalServer32” should point to the location of the EpicsCAServer.exe.

f. Close regedit.

  1. Run …LV_to_EPICS\EpicsCAClient.exe and …LV_to_EPICS\EpicsCAServer.exe that came with the CAServer60.llb download.
  1. Check in task manager under the processes tab to verify that the EpicsCAClient and EpicsCAServer are running when launched. This only needs to be done once when you install the ActiveX EpicsCA services. When your application, such as LabView or Visual Basic, requires the EpicsCAserver, the ActiveX process will start automatically If the EpicsCAServer process is not being used, it times out and closes.
  1. To Configure the CAClient to connect to CAServer.

-Refer, to tech note JLAB-TN-02-029 “Configuring a PC as an EPICS Client” step 4

  1. Start LabView. Go to …\LV_to_EPICS\ServerTests and run Command.vi.

Picture of the Server Command.vi

  1. Using the Client, connect using the PV name “CmdPV” (case sensitive) and run. If data is returned to the client from the server, then there is a connection between Server and Client.
  1. The most common problem with LabView to EPICS interface is not connecting to the EPICS server that is actively serving data. Verify the IOC or server IP address with the system owner and use the ping utility to ensure the IOC or server is on the network.

Picture of the Client getval.vi

References

[2]

[1] Active X CA, Kasemir, Kay-Uwe,

2 ActiveX Interface COM Registration, Kasemir Kay-Uwe,

3 Configuring a PC as an EPICS Client, Christiana Grenoble,