README.htm

Installation Instructions

EPICS base

Release 3.14.0alpha1

What is EPICS base?

The Experimental Physics and Industrial Control Systems (EPICS) is an extensible set of software components and tools with which application developers can create a control system. This control system can be used to control accelerators, detectors, telescopes, or other scientific experimental equipment. EPICS base is the set of core software, i.e. the components of EPICS without which EPICS would not function. EPICS base allows an arbitrary number of target systems, IOCs (input/output controllers), and host systems, OPIs (operator interfaces) of various types.

What is new in this release?

This version of EPICS base contains significant changes and offers major improvements in functionality over previous versions. Please check the RELEASE_NOTES file in the distribution for description of changes and release migration details.

Copyright

Please review the COPYRIGHT* files included in the distribution for legal terms of usage.

Supported platforms

Currently this version of EPICS base has been built on the following hosts and targets. If you are trying to build EPICS base on a different host or for a different target machine you must have the proper host/target cross compiler and header files and you will have to add the appropriate configure files to the base/configure/os/directory. You can start by copying existing configuration files in the configure/os directory and then make changes for your new platforms.
Host target platforms (operating system - architecture - <alternate c++ compiler>)
solaris-sparc
linux-x86
win32-x86
win32-x86-borland

Cross compile target platforms (operating system - architecture)

vxWorks-486
vxWorks-68040
vxWorks-68040lc
vxWorks-68060
vxWorks-ppc604
vxWorks-pentium
RTEMS-gen68360
RTEMS-mvme167

Supported compilers

This version of EPICS base has been built and tested using the host vendor's C and C++ compilers as well as the GNU gcc and g++ compilers. The GNU cross-compilers have been used for all cross-compiled targets. You may need the host vendor's C++ compiler in your search path to do EPICS builds. Check the definitions of ACC and CCC in base/configure/os/CONFIG.<host>.<host> or the definitions for GCC and G++ if ANSI=GCC and CPLUSPLUS=GCC are specified in CONFIG_SITE.

Software requirements

GNU make
You must use GNU make, gnumake, for any EPICS builds.  Set your path so that a gnumake version 3.70 or later is available.

Perl
You must have perl version 5.0 or later installed. The configure files do not specify the perl full pathname.  You need the perl executable in your search path.

Unzip and tar (Winzip on WIN32 systems)
You must have tools available to unzip and untar the EPICS base distribution file.

Tornado 2.0
You must have Tornado 2.0 installed if any of your target systems are vxWorks systems.  Tornado 2.0 provides the cross-compiler and header files needed to build for these target systems. The full path location to Tornado 2.0 must be specified in the base/configure/RELEASE file. You will also need one or more board support packages. Consult the vxWorks documentation for details.

Host system storage requirements

The GNU zipped tar file is approximately 1.4 MB in size. The unzipped untarred distribution source tree is approximately 6 MB. The build created files for each host take approximately 40 MB and the build created files for each target take approximately 10 MB.

Documentation

EPICS documentation is available on the WWW via the EPICS home page at APS:  URL http://www.aps.anl.gov/Epics
This README.html is in the base distribution file and will be available on the IOC software R3.14 EPICS WWW page which can be accessed from the APS EPICS home page.

WWW pages

EPICS home page at APS

http://www.aps.anl.gov/epics

Other WWW sites

Additional information on EPICS can be found at the various other WWW links on the EPICS home page at APS.

Mailing Lists

There are five EPICS mailing lists provided by APS. See The EPICS home page for subscription instructions.

Directory Structure

Distribution directory structure:
     base                         Root directory of the base distribution
     base/configure               Operating system independent build config files
     base/configure/os            Operating system dependent build config files
     base/configure/tools         Perl and shell scripts used in the build
     base/config                  R3.13 compatibility build configuration files
     base/src                     All epics base source code in subdirectories
     base/src/as                  Access security
     base/src/bpt                 Break point table
     base/src/ca                  Channel access
     base/src/cas                 Channel access server
     base/src/db                  Database access
     base/src/dbStatic            Static database access
     base/src/dbtools             Database dbLoadTemplate tools
     base/src/dev                 Device support
     base/src/gdd                 General data descriptor
     base/src/iocsh               Ioc shell command interpreter
     base/src/libCom              General purpose library code in subdirectories
     base/src/libCom/bucketLib    Hash bucket
     base/src/libCom/calc         Algebraic expression interpreter
     base/src/libCom/cvtFast      Fast number to string conversion
     base/src/libCom/cxxTemplates C++ templates
     base/src/libCom/dbmf         Memory management for frequent alloc/free
     base/src/libCom/ellLib       EPICS double linked list
     base/src/libCom/env          Default EPICS environment settings
     base/src/libCom/error        Error handling definitions and routines
     base/src/libCom/fdmgr        File descriptor manager
     base/src/libCom/freeList     Memory management using free lists
     base/src/libCom/gpHash       General purpose hash table
     base/src/libCom/logClient    Logging client
     base/src/libCom/macLib       Macro substitution handler
     base/src/libCom/misc         Miscellaneous utilities
     base/src/libCom/osi          Operating system independent code
     base/src/libCom/osi/os       Operating system dependant code in subdirectories
     base/src/libCom/test         Test tools (timer, semBinary, semMutex,fdmgr, ?)
     base/src/libCom/timer        Timer
     base/src/libCom/taskwd       Task watchdog
     base/src/libCompat           EPICS base R3.13 compatibility code
     base/src/makeBaseApp         Perl tool+templates to create app dvl tree
     base/src/makeBaseExt         Perl tool+templates to create extension dvl tree
     base/src/misc                Miscellaneous (coreRelease, iocInit, asSub*)
     base/src/rec                 Record support
     base/src/registry            EPICS support function registry
     base/src/rsrv                Channel access ioc resource server library
     base/src/toolsComm           Code for the build tools antelope and e_flex
     base/src/util                Utilities (ca_test, iocLogServer, startCArepeater)
     base/src/vxWorks             R3.13 compatibility code specific to vxWorks
     base/startup                 Scripts for setting up path and environment

     Install directories created by the build
     base/bin                     Installed scripts and executables in subdirs
     base/lib                     Installed libraries in arch subdirectories
     base/dbd                     Installed data base definitions
     base/include                 Installed header files
     base/include/os              Installed os specific header files
     base/templates               Installed templates

Build related components

  • base/README* files

  •  

     
     
     

    README.htm           Instructions for setup and building epics base
                         (i.e. this document)
    README.WIN32         Microsoft WIN32 specific instructions
    README.cxxTemplates  Information about C++ templates in EPICS base
    README.niCpu030      NI cpu030 specific instructions
     

  • base/startup directory - contains scripts to set environment and path

  •  

     
     
     

    EpicsHostArch       c shell script to set EPICS_HOST_ARCH env variable
    EpicsHostArch.pl    perl script to set EPICS_HOST_ARCH env variable
    Site.profile        bourne shell script to set path and env variables
    Site.cshrc          c shell script to set path and env variables
    borland.bat         WIN32 bat file to set path and env variables
    win32.bat           WIN32 bat file to set path and env variables
     

  • base/configure  directory - contains build definitions and rules

  •  

     
     
     

    CONFIG.CrossCommon    Cross build definitions
    CONFIG_ADDONS         Definitions for <osclass> and DEFAULT options
    CONFIG_BASE           EPICS base tool and location definitions
    CONFIG_BASE_VERSION   Definitions for EPICS base version number
    CONFIG_COMMON         Definitions common to all builds
    CONFIG_ENV            Definitions of EPICS environment variables
    CONFIG_SITE           Site specific make defintions
    CONFIG_SITE_ENV       Site defaults for EPICS environment variables
    CONFIG                Includes configure files and allows variable overrides
    RELEASE               Location of external products such as Tornado II
    RULES                 Includes appropriate rules file
    RULES.Db              Rules for database and database definition files
    RULES_ARCHS           Definitions and rules for building architectures
    RULES_BUILD           Build and install rules and definitions
    RULES_DIRS            Definitions and rules for building subdirectories
    RULES_JAVA            Definitions and rules for java jars and classes
    RULES_TOP             Rules specific to a <top> dir (uninstall and tar)
     

  • base/configure/os directory - contains os-arch specific definitions

  •  

     
     
     

    CONFIG.<host>.<target>      Specific host-target build definitions
    CONFIG.Common.<target>      Specific target definitions for all hosts
    CONFIG.<host>.Common        Specific host definitions for all targets
    CONFIG.UnixCommon.Common    Definitions for Unix hosts and all target
    CONFIG.<host>.vxWorksCommon Specific host definitions for all vx targets
    CONFIG_COMPAT               R3.13 arch compatibility definitions
     

  • base/configure/tools directory - contains Perl scripts used for the build

  •  

     
     
     

    cp.pl                   This Perl script copies an existing file
    installEpics.pl         Installs built files into install directories.
    makeConfigAppInclude.pl Generates include,bin, lib dir definitions
    makeDbDepends.pl        Generates dependencies from substitution files
    makeIocCdCommands.pl    Generates cdCommands file for use in IOCs
    makeMakefile.pl         Creates a Makefile in O.<arch> dirs
    makeMakefileInclude.pl  Creates file to be included by Makefile
    mkdir.pl                Creates a directory (like Unix mkdir)
    munch.pl                Creates a ctdt.c file for vxWorks targets
    mv.pl                   Renames an existing file.
    replaceVAR.pl           Changes CapFast VAR(xxx) to $(xxx) notation
    rm.pl                   Quietly removes an existing file.

    Building EPICS base (Unix and Win32)

    Unpack file
    Unzip and untar the distribution file. Use WinZip on Windows systems.
    Set environment variable
    Before you can build or use EPICS R3.14, the environment variable EPICS_HOST_ARCH must be defined. A perl script EpicsHostArch.pl in the base/startup directory has been provided to help set EPICS_HOST_ARCH. You should have EPICS_HOST_ARCH set to your host operating system followed by a dash and then your host architecture, e.g. solaris-sparc.
    Check path requirements
    As already mentioned, you must have the perl executable and you may need C and C++ compilers in your search path. For building base you also must have echo in your search path. For Unix host builds you also need touch, cpp, cp, rm, mv, and mkdir in your search path and /bin/chmod must exist. On some Unix systems you may also need ar and ranlib in you path.
    Do site-specific build configuration
    Site configuration
    To configure EPICS, you may want to modify the default definitions in the following files:
    configure/CONFIG_SITE      - Build choices. Specify your target archs.
    configure/CONFIG_SITE_ENV  - Set your environment variable definitions
    configure/RELEASE         - TORNADO full path location


    Host configuration
    To configure each host system, you may override the default definitions by adding a new file with override definitions into the configure/os directory. The new file should have the same name as the distribution file to be overridden except with CONFIG in the name changed to CONFIG_SITE.

    configure/os/CONFIG.<host>.<host>        - Host build settings
    configure/os/CONFIG.<host>.Common        - Host cross build settings
    Target configuration
    To configure each target system, you may override the default definitions by adding a new file with override definitions into the configure/os directory. The new file should have the same name as the distribution file to be overridden except with CONFIG in the name replaced by CONFIG_SITE.
    configure/os/CONFIG.Common.<target>   - Target cross settings
    configure/os/CONFIG.<host>.<target>  - Host-target settings
    R3.13 compatibility configuration
    To configure EPICS base for building with R3.13 extensions and ioc applications , you will want to modify the default definitions in the base/config/CONFIG_SITE*  files to agree with the definitions in your configure/base files.

    Build EPICS base

    After configuring the build you should be able to build EPICS base by issuing the following commands in the distribution?s root directory (base) -
    gnumake clean uninstall
    gnumake
    The command "gnumake clean uninstall" will remove all files and directories generated by a previous build. The command "gnumake" will build and install everything for the configured host and targets.
    It is recommended that you do a "gnumake clean uninstall" at the root directory of an EPICS  directory structure before each complete rebuild to ensure that all components will be rebuilt.

    Multiple host platforms

    You can build using a single EPICS directory structure on multiple host systems and for multiple cross target systems. The intermediate and binary files generated by the build will be created in separate system subdirectories and installed into the appropriate separate host/target install directories. EPICS executables and perl scripts are installed into the $(INSTALL_LOCATION)/bin/<arch> directories. Libraries are installed into $(INSTALL_LOCATION)/lib/<arch>. The default definition for $(INSTALL_LOCATION) is $(TOP) which is the rootdirectory in the directory structure, base. Temporary objects are stored in O.<arch> source subdirectories, This allows objects for multiple cross target architectures to be maintained at the same time. To build EPICS base for a specific host/target combination you must have the proper host/target c++ cross compiler and target header files and the base/configure/os directory must have the appropriate configure files.

    Examples

    A perl tool, makeBaseApp.pl is included in the distribution file. This script will create a sample application that then can be built and then executed to try out this release of base. Also, a perl script, makeBaseExt.pl, is included in the distribution file. This script will create a sample extension that can be built and executed. The makeBaseApp.pl and makeBaseExt.pl scripts are installed into the install location bin/<hostarch> directory during the base build.

    Example base application

    Instructions for building and executing a 3.14 example application can be found in the section "Example Application" of Chapter 2, "New Features for 3.14", in the  "IOC Application Developer's Guide R3.14.0alpha1" . The "Example Application"  section briefly explains how to create and build an example application in a user created <top> directory. It also explains how to run the example application on a vxWorks ioc or a host system and run an example channel access client on the host system.