Git-based Version Control for Beamline Control System at the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility

Abstract

The Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF) is the first third generation synchrotron light source in China. Presently, the SSRF contains fourteen operational beamlines, but there will be more than 30 beamlines at the SSRF by the end of 2021. The rapid development of the beamlines has massively increased the beamline control source code, which further creates a tremendous challenge in managing the source code. Traditionally, at the SSRF, beamline engineers realize the version control of source code by making a full copy of the source files before making any new edits. However, due to a massive increase in source code volume, such a version control is no longer possible. Therefore, a modern version control system is needed. This paper presents a Git-based version control system intended for the SSRF, demonstrates the framework and workflow used to realize the proposed version control, and presents the components of Git repositories. In addition, GitHub is used to share the common EPICS software modules of the SSRF with the scientific community.