Speaker
Description
As part of the upgrade project of the Swiss Light Source (SLS) to a fourth-generation synchrotron, a unified solution for controlling and orchestrating experiments has been developed. The Beamline and Experiment Control system (BEC) leverages community tools but embraces a service-oriented approach to facilitate fast and maintainable developments in a rapidly evolving scientific environment.
In this contribution, we present the experience gained during the development and rollout of BEC across the SLS beamlines over the past years. We discuss decisions related to deployment strategies, monitoring infrastructure and user interface design as well as the challenges of establishing a common experiment control framework across beamlines that previously relied on independent and highly customized solutions. In addition, we reflect critically on approaches that proved successful in operation as well as decisions that later required redesign or simplification. By sharing both stories of success and shortcomings, we aim to highlight areas that may be relevant for other facilities facing similar organizational structure and technical challenges.
