2 USER'S GUIDE

2.1 Overview

Central Control Software is the generic name used for a set of software modules, relatively independent providing standardized access to different resources.

The Central Control Software is an intermediate layer of software, composed of libraries for the programmatic side, configuration utilities for the interactive part, and servers and daemons for the background support, isolating the applications and high level control software from the operating system.

The following domains currently covered on WS are described in this manual:

On Line Database

The On-line database provides the mechanisms to organize, store and share data.

Access time must be compatible with real time performance requirements.

Message System

This provides a homogeneous interprocess communication mechanism, on a single

computing unit as well as across the network.

Scan System

The Scan mechanism provides a bidirectional way to exchange data between

workstations and LCUs.

Time System

This provides the Universal Time (UTC) allowing synchronization of all processors.

Logging System

This provides facilities to keep trace of important events occurring in the system.

Error System

This allows logging of errors and their display.

Alarm System

Provides standard mechanisms to define database attributes supporting the management

of alarms and their display.

Engineering user interface

User interface based on the UIF toolkit library, and providing access to the message system

and the on line data base.

Sampling

Utilities interfacing the LCC sampling facilities together with the CCS plotting/Trending.

The message system and the on-line database are the only mechanisms used by applications to exchange information.

Additional modules, are described in separated documents (See bibliography)

Graphical User Interface Toolkit

This provides the basic tools to build a homogeneous man-machine interface.

CCS-LCC/Common Access Interface

A library to support database direct addressing in an efficient way, both on WS, and on LCUs.

CCS Event Tool Kit

A standard architecture to design and develop event-driven applications on WS. Requires C++ programming.

Extended CCS

A C++ library granting a simplified access to some of the CCS functions.

CCS On Line Database Loader

A tool to define the on-line database structure using an object oriented approach.

2.2 Implementation Choice

The CCS was originally a wrapper around the commercial package RTAP/Plus: Real Time Application Platform from Hewlett-Packard. On top of the basic mechanisms offered by Rtap, CCS provides a higher level interface compatible with the one available with LCC, and adds missing functionality.

The same interface has been kept while the RTAP underlying level has been removed and replaced by a new layer of software providing a fully compatible functionality. This version is named CCS_Lite, and since the March 2002 release it provides almost the complete set of services available with the full version. Since the April 2003 release, CCS_Lite has become the standard development platform for VLT, and the old Rtap based applications will be ported to this new platform, removing the need for Rtap licenses

2.3 Availability

The CCS Services are available as direct procedural calls from any program in the same WS or via the Message System to any process running in the same WS or on a remote node. The following sections describe the functions provided by the CCS Software.

A quick reference section lists the procedures and utilities provided by each module part of CCS.

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