Wendelstein 7-Xʹs CoDaStation: A modular application for scientific data acquisition

The Control and Data Acquisition Station (short: CoDaStation) is a modular application for continuous data acquisition. It is based on the idea of abstract signal sources and signal sinks that are connected to a signal processing network. The structure of this network is defined by a configuration description and the behavior is controlled by a control system. Due to the well-defined interface definitions for signal processing units, configuration sources and control systems it is possible to use various implementations of these components and easily switch between them. This means less effort on environment changes which is especially important for experiment sites with operation times of several years and even decades. Furthermore, it provides room for tests using mock-up implementations and so an improved testability and stability. DaStation will be an integral part of the control and data acquisition system of Wendelstein 7-X. However, the modular design allows the integration into very different scientific environments.