An object orientated client-server model based on the
Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) has
been developed for use in building high level software
applications at the Swiss Light Source (SLS). A suite
of CORBA server objects provides a convenient and
uniform interface to several software packages required
by beam dynamics applications. These include the TRACY
accelerator physics package, the Common DEVice (CDEV)
controls library, the Oracle database management system
and a message and alarm logging facility. The framework
facilitates rapid and reliable development of
applications as client programs are sheltered from the
intricate details of the many application program
interfaces (APIs), while server objects are extensively
tested through their use in different applications.
The software and hardware components of the client-server
model are presented together with a first account of their
use in the commissioning of the SLS booster synchrotron.
