Initial Requirements

• Frequent experiment changes, each with different configurations.

  Must be easy to load, save and change configurations.

• The suite of instruments is always growing.

  Must be easy to implement new instrument drivers.

• Programming library and command-line interface to integrate with data acquisition.
• Textual user interface.
• Multiple clients concurrently.
• Many of the instruments in use have complex functionality.

  Multiple variables for setting and readback for each instrument.

• Variable attributes: polling, logging and alarm information.
• Instruments can be locked for exclusive control.
• Communication interfaces: RS-232-C, GPIB and CAMAC.

Desires:

• Pseudo-intruments. Drivers that would encapsulate access to multiple physical instruments.
• Portability.
• Distributed.