ACCELERATOR DEVICES AT PERSISTENT SOFTWARE OBJECTS

In the current ''standard model'' of accelerator control systems, the interface to accelerator equipment is implemented in a network compone nt termed a front end computer. A front end computer system is being d eveloped which provides access to underlying accelerator equipment via an abstraction termed an accelerator device object. Accelerator devic e objects support a standard set of operations which can be performed on them and contain all parameters necessary for controlling the under lying equipment. Accelerator device objects are realized as instances of C++ classes in software running in a real-time operating system, bu t exist independent of a particular task context and persist through s ystem reset or power loss. This front end computer system is applied b oth to the development of a new control system for the RHIC project an d also to the rejuvenation of an aged part of the AGS control system a nd its integration into the existing AGS Distributed Control System.