Who Gets to Specify a Control System?

Elliott McCrory
Fermilab, Batavia, IL USA 60510

The users of a control system are typically considered to be: 1. the operations staff, 2. the equipment engineers, 3. the acclerator scientists and 4. the administration of the facility. Each of these groups has different demands from a control system, each (except possibly the adminstrators) putting an equivalent load on the overall system. The operators need a reliable and simple system every minute, but the demand at any time is not very high. The engineer and the scientist may need a lot of information, but only at very specific times, depending on the nature of the situation. This paper considers the demands on the control system from each of these groups, and how the needs of one group may tend to override the needs of another.