synApps

synApps
Name	synApps
Developer	Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System Consortium
Initial release	1990s
Latest release	ongoing
Programming language	C, Python, shell
Operating system	Scientific Linux, CentOS, Debian, Ubuntu
License	EPICS-compatible

synApps

synApps is a modular collection of software modules developed to integrate with the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) for control systems used in accelerator laboratories, synchrotron facilities, fusion experiments, and industrial research. It provides reusable IOC support, device drivers, record types, and application tools that connect hardware from vendors such as National Instruments, Delta Tau Data Systems, Ge Fanuc, Beckhoff, and MKS Instruments to control frameworks used at institutions like Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, CERN, and Diamond Light Source.

Overview

synApps bundles software modules that extend the capabilities of the EPICS Base environment by providing standardized device support, record processing, and application-level utilities. Typical synApps installations interoperate with EPICS IOC, Channel Access, pvAccess, CSS (Control System Studio), pyepics, and AsynDriver to enable integrated control and monitoring. The distribution emphasizes portability across platforms such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS Stream, Debian GNU/Linux, and Ubuntu LTS and integrates with build systems like make, CMake, and Autoconf.

History and Development

synApps originated from collaborations among accelerator laboratories including Los Alamos National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to standardize IOC support for complex experimental hardware. Development progressed alongside versions of EPICS Base and coordinated with releases from organizations such as ITER Organization and International Linear Collider projects. Over decades, contributors from Fermilab, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Paul Scherrer Institute, and many university laboratories expanded synApps to support evolving device ecosystems, software practices from the Linux Foundation, and tooling influenced by projects like GitLab and GitHub.

Architecture and Components

The synApps architecture layers device support modules, record types, and application utilities on top of EPICS Base and AsynDriver. Core components include subsystems such as motor control support (interfacing with systems from Kollmorgen, Mitsubishi Electric, Siemens), scaler and counter modules compatible with vendors like Ortec and Amptek, and sequencer utilities that complement EPICS sequencer (SNL). synApps provides libraries for waveform processing, stream device support (for serial and ethernet devices), and visualization helpers used in MEDM, EDM, and Control System Studio. The distribution organizes modules into packages for maintainability and for integration with service orchestration tools used at facilities like Diamond Light Source.

Supported Hardware and Device Drivers

synApps includes device drivers and support modules for a broad array of instrumentation and controllers: stepper and servo motors from Aerotech, Parker Hannifin, and PI (Physik Instrumente); motion controllers such as Delta Tau, Galil and Compumotor; vacuum and gas control interfaces from Leybold, Pfeiffer Vacuum, and MKS Instruments; detector readout electronics from AMPTEK, XIA (X-ray Instrumentation Associates), and Andor Technology; timing and synchronization hardware from Micro Research Finland and Micro-Research Finland; and fieldbus gateways for Modbus, Profibus, and EtherCAT used in industrial labs like Siemens Research. Device support often wraps vendor SDKs and requires compatibility with operating systems and real-time extensions employed at facilities such as Paul Scherrer Institute.

Configuration and Deployment

Configuration of synApps-based IOCs uses text-based startup scripts, database (.db) files, and environment modules coordinated through tools like EPICS module configuration, systemd, and container runtimes used at research sites such as CERN IT. Deployment workflows follow source control practices with Git and continuous integration solutions inspired by Jenkins or GitLab CI; binary packaging aligns with distributions like CentOS and Debian. For large facilities, deployment integrates with instrumentation lifecycle systems from Instrument Control Systems groups and uses monitoring with Prometheus and visualization via Grafana or traditional EPICS display managers.

Applications and Use Cases

synApps is applied across accelerator operations at centers such as SLAC, RHIC (Brookhaven National Laboratory), European XFEL, and ESS (European Spallation Source), in beamline instrumentation at APS (Argonne National Laboratory), ALBA, and SSRL (Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource), and in industrial testbeds at Siemens research facilities and NASA labs. Common use cases include closed-loop motion control for beamline optics, vacuum and gas control for sample environments, detector readout orchestration for crystallography and spectroscopy experiments, and timing coordination for pump–probe experiments coordinated with facilities like DESY and HELIX-NL. synApps modules support integration with data acquisition frameworks such as EPICS Archiver Appliance and experiment management systems used at MAX IV Laboratory.

Community and Support

The synApps community comprises developers and users from national laboratories, universities, and industry partners, collaborating through mailing lists, issue trackers, and version control platforms like GitHub and GitLab. Institutional support often comes from control-system groups at laboratories including Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with contributions from vendors such as National Instruments and Beckhoff Automation. Training and knowledge exchange occur at workshops and conferences like the International Conference on Accelerator and Large Experimental Physics Control Systems (ICALEPCS), EPICS Collaboration meetings, and regional user meetings hosted by facilities like Diamond Light Source and European XFEL.

Category:Control systems software