Converting an EPICS R3.13 application to R3.14

This document describes how to convert a R3.13 vxWorks application so that it builds with release R3.14. It describes procedures such that:

Gnumake clean uninstall

First do a gnumake clean uninstall in the application's root directory to remove all files created by earlier builds.

Create a new R3.14 application

We will remove junkApp later.

mkdir top
cd top
/path/to/base-3.14/bin/host_arch/makeBaseApp.pl -t example junk

Copy all *App and iocBoot directories and files to the new top directory

cd oldtop 
find *App iocBoot -print | cpio -pvmd /path/to/new/top

Modify top/configure/RELEASE

Copy definitions of external modules excluding EPICS_BASE and TEMPLATES_TOP from old application RELEASE file.
If sequence programs (*.st or *.stt files) exist in your application, add the SNCSEQ location definition for the R3.14 sncseq external module

SNCSEQ = /path/to/sncseq

The R3.14 sncseq module must exist and be built with the same EPICS base R3.14 release.

Modify the Makefiles in top/*App directories.

Change include $(TOP)/config/CONFIG_APP to include $(TOP)/configure/CONFIG

Change include $(TOP)/config/RULES_DIRS to include $(TOP)/configure/RULES_DIRS

Modify the Makefiles in top/*App/*Db directories.

Remove existing Makefile.

Rename Makefile.Host to Makefile

Modify the Makefile as follows:

Change TOP=../../.. to TOP=../..

Change include $(TOP)/config/CONFIG_APP to include $(TOP)/configure/CONFIG

Change include $(TOP)/config/RULES.Dbto include $(TOP)/configure/RULES

Place all definitions between the include lines.

Place any rules after the last include line.

Modify the Makefiles in top/*App/src directories.

This is the hardest step. The definitions in Makefile.Host and Makefile.Vx must be manually converted to the new configure definitions.

First replace Makefile with the Makefile from junkApp/src.

rm Makefile
cp ../../junkApp/src/Makefile .

We can remove the junkApp now (unless you have other App/src directories still to convert):

rm -rf ../../junkApp

This new Makefile has comments explaining how to build the various host and ioc products. Lets consider some examples

After these changes are made the following files are no longer needed: baseLIBOBJS, Makefile.Host, and Makefile.Vx

File base.dbd no longer needed

You now can add the line

include "base.dbd"

to your appnameInclude.dbd file and remove the file nameApp/src/base.dbd from your src directory. The base.dbd from base/dbd will be used instead. If you only want to load a subset of the record definitions from base you can keep your own copy of base.dbd, but you should copy the one from your R3.14 base and edit that rather than trying to re-use the R3.13 version from your old application.

Record support

Add the following line after all existing #includes

#include "epicsExport.h"

The structure rset is now a typedef so change

struct rset recordnameRSET = { ... };

to

rset recordnameRSET = { ... };

and add the following line after the rset recordnameRSET = { ... }; definition.

epicsExportAddress(rset,recordnameRSET);

Device support

Add the following line after all existing #includes

#include "epicsExport.h"

and add the following line after the dset definition struct { ... } devname = { ... };

epicsExportAddress(dset,devname);

Driver support

Add the following line after all existing #includes

#include "epicsExport.h"

and add the following line after the drvet drvname definition

epicsExportAddress(drvet,drvname);

Registration code changed

Registration code for application specific functions, e.g. subroutine record init and process functions, must been changed as follows

  1. Include the following header files after all existing #includes:
    #include "registryFunction.h"
    #include "epicsExport.h"
  2. Make the application specific functions static functions, e.g.
    static long mySubInit(subRecord *precord)
    static long mySubProcess(subRecord *precord)
  3. Add an epicsRegisterFunction statement for each of the functions to be registered, e.g.
    epicsRegisterFunction(mySubInit);
    epicsRegisterFunction(mySubProcess);
  4. Add a function statement for each of the functions to be registered in a .dbd file that is included in the application, e.g.
    function("mySubInit")
    function("mySubProcess")

Modify the Makefiles in top/iocBoot directory.

Change include $(TOP)/config/CONFIG_APP to include $(TOP)/configure/CONFIG

If they do not already exist, add the lines

DIRS += $(wildcard *ioc*)
DIRS += $(wildcard as*)

Change include $(TOP)/config/RULES.iocBoot to include $(TOP)/configure/RULES_DIRS.

Modify the Makefiles in top/iocBoot/ioc* directories.

Change include $(TOP)/config/CONFIG_APP to include $(TOP)/configure/CONFIG

Change

ARCH = <old arch specification e.g. mv167>

to

ARCH = <new arch specification e.g. vxWorks-68040>

Change include $(TOP)/config/RULES.ioc to include $(TOP)/configure/RULES.ioc

If it exists remove the line

buildInstall: cdCommands

Add the line

TARGETS = cdCommands

before the include for RULES.ioc line.

Modify st.cmd in top/iocBoot/ioc* directories.

Remove the lines

ld < seq
ld < iocCore

Change ld < nameLib to

ld 0,0, "name.munch"

(The ld command in vxWorks 5.5.2 doesn't clean up its standard input properly, so we now recommend passing the filename to it directly instead.)

Change cd appbin to cd topbin

Change the statement:

dbLoadDatabase("../../dbd/nameApp.dbd")
to
dbLoadDatabase("../../dbd/name.dbd")
name_registerRecordDeviceDriver(pdbbase)

where name is replaced with the name of your dbd file.

recGbl calls

If any source file makes calls to recGbl routines make sure it includes recGbl.h. If it doesn't the compiler will issue warning messages and the ioc may issue the message: undefined symbol: _recGblSetSevr.

Record support changes

The steppermotor, scan, and pid records are no longer in base. If these records are not used in your application, comment out references to them in base.dbd. If these record types are used at your site, they should be downloaded and built with base R3.14 by your EPICS administrator. To update the R3.14 location of these record types in your application you must add appropriate module definitions to your application's config/RELEASE file and add LIBOBJS definitions to the src Makefile.

For example add

PID = /path/to/modules/pid

to config/RELEASE and add

LIBOBJS += $(PID_BIN)/pidRecord.o

to your application src/Makefile.

You should consider changing any existing old steppermotor records to the new EPICS motor record module supported by Beamline Controls and Data Acquisition at APS.

RecDynLink.o and devPtSoft changes

recDynLink.o and devPtSoft.o are no longer in EPICS base and now exist as separate EPICS modules.You must now add the appropriate module full path definitions to your application config/RELEASE file, and change LIBOBJS location definition $(EPICS_BASE_BIN) to the module definition bin directory in your application src directory files. See Hardware support changes below for instructions.

Hardware support changes

All hardware support (dev, drv and dbd files) except soft support has been unbundled from base R3.14. This support includes the files symb.dbd, drvHp1404a.o, drvEpvxiMsg.o, and drvEpvxi.o. If these are not used by your application, comment out references to them in base.dbd.

Hardware support now exists as separate EPICS modules. The hardware support for your site should be downloaded and built with base R3.14 by your EPICS administrator. You must now add the appropriate module full path definitions to your application config/RELEASE file, and change LIBOBJS location from $(EPICS_BASE_BIN) to the module bin directory in your application src directory files.

For example, remove

LIBOBJS += $(EPICS_BASE_BIN)/symb

from baseLIBOBJS and add

LIBOBJS += $(SYMB_BIN)/symb

to your application src/Makefile, and add the line

SYMB = <full path definition for the built module SYMB>

into your application config/RELEASE file.

dbLoadtemplate tool changes

The host tool dbLoadTemplate has been replace by a new EPICS extension, msi, which should be downloaded and built with base R3.14 by your EPICS administrator. dbLoadTemplate is still supported on iocs. If, in your application, db files are created from template and substitution files you should add the definition

MSI = <full path name to msi executable>

to your application config/RELEASE file.