EPICS IOC Naming Standard

ioc[<sector##><source>[<hutch>] | <groupID>][<function> | <index##>]

IOC id
- sector ## : Sector number (0 - 34)
- source: beam line type, either only "id" or "bm"
  - id: Insertion Device
  - bm: Bending Magnet
- hutch : Letter of beamline hutch were a permanent IOC is located.
  - This is an optional section of the name that should be included if the IOC is permanently installed and is associated with a particular experimental hutch
Mobile IOC id
- groupID: Use this if the IOC is not permanently installed in a fixed location but could move, for example, from one beam line to another.
  - This is a provision for IOCs in the detector pool, for example.
function: 3 letter description of IOC function
- note the 11 character limit on the IOC name
- let the instrument team provide guidance on the choice
index##: index number of IOC using two digits.
- This is an optional section of the name and should be used to insure IOC naming uniqueness

NOTE: UPPER/lower case is irrelevent on host names

Examples:

      ioc8idb02
      ioc17ide
      ioc26idabpm
      ioc26idbdcm
      ioc32idblax

EPICS PV Naming Notes

Also see the complete explanation of the APS PV Naming Convention

PVs served by an IOC should be prefixed with the IOC name excluding the "ioc".
The leading zero on single digit sectors will be removed.
If function is part of the IOC name:
- Optionally, precede function with an underscore "_" to provide some visual separation.
- (Cannot use a colon ":" here since that would break the changePrefix script in synApps.)
- Alternative to an underscore is to convert function to all upper case.
When an index number is used, there is no need to add an underscore since the change from a letter to a number sequence is a significant delimiter.

Examples:

      8idb2:table2
      17ide:m1
      26ida_bpm:scan1
      26idbDCM:m1
      32idbLAX:allstop

There are some considerations affecting long PV prefixes when the function is included.

compatibility with changePrefix script
- multiple colons ":" in prefix are a problem
potential for typos in long PV prefixes presented by concatenations of character sequences (such as 26idabpm vs. 26ida_bpm)
easy coordination of PV prefixes and IOC names for maintenance
- useful to both BCDA and beam line staff
keep prefix as short as possible
- limit on length of EPICS PV name
- reduce the routine characters to be typed

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