Backend System Components

This is a table of the major components of IBEX server.

Name	Console Name	Type	What it does
Active MQ	JMS	Java	ActiveMQ used to transmit log and alarm data
Alarm server	ALARM	Java	Serves alarms which appear in the alarms perspective. It checks to PVs to see if they are in alarm mode and relays that information to the client. Actual range checking is done a EPICS server.
Archive Access	ARACCESS	python	Creates log files based on the MySQL database for some devices with special needs.
Archive Engine	ARBLOCK	Java	Archives (in mysql db) blocks set in a configuration (restarted when blocks change) see CSS-Archive-Engine
Block Gateway	GWBLOCK	EPICS Gateway	Aliases the dynamically created block PVs e.g. CS:SB:FURNACE_TEMP to the underlying PV e.g. EUROTHRM_01:A01:TEMP see Block server
Block server	BLOCKSRV	Python	Manages configurations and blocks associated with them see Settings-and-Configurations. It configures the Archive Engine and starts the IOCs read from the configuration files.
CA Repeater	CAREP	Executable	A epics CA repeater that is started before all other processes. This repeats UDP broadcasts to CA clients on the same machine
Database server	DBSVR	Python	Intermediary between MySQL and the GUI, only used for PVs that hold instrument information, such as experiment data, which IOCs are used and information about PVs of an instrument. Legacy software, not that necessary now.
Experiment DB	N/A - runs centrally	Python	Similar to DB server but for PVs for the experimental database which contains users and run numbers.
External/Access Gateway	GWEXT	EPICS Gateway	Gateway to allow access to PVs from outside localhost
icpconfig	N/A	Library of functions	functions called on IOC start up to load macros into the IOC.
Inst etc	INSTETC_01	Epics IOC	PVs which are for instrument level, e.g. motors moving and security pvs
Instrument Archive	ARINST	Java	Archives (in mysql db) pvs with archive property see CSS-Archive-Engine. It is a separate archive engine from Archive engine. PVs with archive property are PVs set by developers to be logged always, regardless of what scientists do, so that we can use them for diagnostics.
IOC Message Logger	IOCLOG	Java	Instrument level software that collects messages sent by any IOC, logs it in the database and put it on the JMS message queue.
ISIS DAE	ISISDAE_01	Epics IOC	Controls the ISIS ICP program which collects data. It is an IOC-like needed because ICP can not talk over Channel Access.
LabVIEW		LabVIEW	Controls certain legacy devices which have not been migrated to EPICS yet.
MySQL	runs as a service	Service	My SqlDatabase is used for persisting data
Nicos	NICOSDAEMON	Python	Process which runs and queues users’ python scripts on an instrument
Proc Serve Control	PSCTRL	Epics IOC	Control proc serves (start, stop and status). A wrapper that makes starting and stopping IOCs much easier.
Python (Uktena)		python	Python distribution.
Remote IOC Server		pcaspy	Manages IOCs hosted on PCs other than the local instrument.
Run Control	RUNCTRL_01	Epics IOC	Add run control to blocks. Run Control is a feature of IBEX that allows users to configure the instrument so when a PV is out of a certain range, neutron data is not being gathered. Needed because neutron data has an extremely large volume and sometimes that data would not be needed so it is better to not pollute the Nexus files with it.
Script server (Interface to Nicos)	SCRIPTSERVER	Python	Script server is a proxy in front of nicos to allow communication with it.
The Journal Viewer	N/A	Database, webserver and part of the client	Provides information about what experiments have been done on the instrument in the past

All components are started via Startup and Shutdown