Optimizing Data Access in the LAMPF Control System

The LAMPF control system data access software offers considerable power and flexibility to application programs through symbolic device naming and an emphasis on hardware independence. This paper discusses optimizations aimed at improving the performance of the data access software while retaining these capabilities. The only aspects of the optimizations visible to the application programs are "vector devices" and "aggregate devices." A vector device accesses a set of hardware related data items through a single device name. Aggregate devices allow run-time optimization of references to groups of unrelated devices. Optimizations not visible on the application level include careful handling of: network message traffic; the sharing of global resources; and storage allocation.