The epics-containers GitHub organization holds a collection of tools and documentation for building, deploying and managing containerized EPICS IOCs.

Quick Start

See Essential Concepts and the Getting Started Guide

Useful Links

Item	Link
Documentation	https://epics-containers.github.io
Wiki	epics-containers/epics-containers.github.io
Issues	epics-containers/epics-containers.github.io#issues
Docs Source	epics-containers/epics-containers.github.io
Organization	epics-containers

Materials

• Workshop @ ORNL, EPICS Collaboration 2024

• Oxfordshire EPICS Meeting Nov 2023

• ICALEPCS 2021 Paper: Kubernetes for EPICS IOCs

• ICALEPCS 2021 Talk: Kubernetes for EPICS IOCs

Communication

If you are interested in discussing containers for control systems, please:

• Add a brief description of your project and the status of it’s use of containers to:

  • The epics-containers Wiki

• Join in the discussion at:

  • epics-containers.github.io discussions

How the documentation is structured

Documentation is split into four categories, also accessible from links in the top bar.

• Tutorials
  • Tutorials Introduction
  • Set up a Developer Workstation
  • Launch A Simulation Beamline
  • Create a Beamline Repository
  • Deploying and Managing IOC Instances
  • Create an IOC Instance
  • Developer Containers
  • Developer Containers Part 2
  • Changing the IOC Instance
  • Changing a Generic IOC
  • Create a Generic IOC
  • Debugging Generic IOC Builds
  • Working with Support Modules
  • Setup a Kubernetes Cluster
  • Create a New Kubernetes Beamline
  • Add an IOC to the Kubernetes Beamline
  • RTEMS - Creating a File Server
  • RTEMS - Deploying an Example IOC

Tutorials for installation and typical usage. New users start here.

• How-to Guides
  • Builder2ibek Conversion Tool
  • Builder2ibek.support Conversion Tool
  • Contributing to the project
  • Updating User Repositories with Copier
  • Debug an IOC instance locally
  • Updating and Testing ibek-support
  • Choose Your Developer Environment
  • Viewing Operator Interfaces with Phoebus

Practical step-by-step guides for the more experienced user.

• Explanations
  • Change Management Manifesto
  • Architectural Decision Records
  • About the documentation
  • Essential Concepts
  • Dev Container vs Runtime Container
  • Kubernetes Cluster Config
  • Channel Access and Other Protocols
  • Source and Registry Locations
  • Rootless vs Rootfull

Explanations of how it works and why it works that way.

• Reference
  • Change Log
  • Configuration for epics-containers
  • Working with Docker
  • The Environment Configuration File
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Glossary
  • Pure Helm Deployments
  • IOC Helm Chart Details
  • Kubernetes Resources in an IOC Instance
  • Configuring a Services Repository for a Cluster
  • Troubleshooting
  • Release Notes

Technical reference material including APIs and release notes.