The EPICS toolkit consists of a set of software components with which Application Developers can create a control system. The basic component types are:
•OPI
Operator Interface. A UNIX- or NT-based workstation or PC which can run various EPICS tools—the “clients.”
•IOC
Input Output Controller. A VME/VXI-based chassis containing a Motorola 68K or PPC processor with various VME I/O modules for analog and digital signals, and for access to field buses such as Allen-Bradley, GPIB, CANbus or CAMAC.
•LAN
TCP/IP-based Local Area Network. A communication network which connects the IOCs and OPIs. EPICS provides a software com- ponent, Channel Access, which provides network transparent commu- nication between every client—such as OPI—and an arbitrary number of servers—such as IOC.
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Over the last decade, a radical shift has occurred in the way customers interact with the marketplace.The traditional mode of using defined channels of communication has given way to a broad array of connection points.Along with this shift, today’s customers have come to expect a higher degree of transparency from firms providing products upon which they rely. Companies that are unsure how to engage in the new paradigm often meet this expectation of transparency with mixed signals.As traditional channels erode, and a broader community ecosystem emerges, companies must rethink their loyalty equation by understanding how to engage in the new environment.
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