IDL Simulator

Simulation [RD01 - 3.3.4. Simulation] is supported within ACS at the level of Components. That is, ACS provides the necessary libraries for dynamically implementing IDL interfaces derived from the ACSComponent IDL interface at run-time.

The simulator framework is available by specifying a special Python library as implementing the Component within the ACS Configuration Database

The behavior of simulated components can be configured "ahead of time" using the ACS Configuration Database in cases where a standardized behavior is desired

Complete implementations of all IDL methods and attributes can be implemented on the fly by the simulator framework

The behavior of simulated components can be configured at run-time using:

• a GUI which is spawned automatically with the creation of the first simulated Component
• the command-line and an easy-to-use API provided by ACS if the Python Container hosting the simulated Components was started within an interactive Python session
• the IDL interface provided by a Simulator Component. This Component shall be deployed in the Python Container where the simulated components are deployed.

Using any of these techniques it is possible to:

• replace or retrieve the code of each simulated method,
• set timeouts
• set/get the value of global variables

The framework provides realistic behavior of certain ACS types such as BACI properties and is capable of invoking Callbacks properly

The simulator includes the capability of creating other CORBA Objects where applicable

Simulated components adhere to the Component LifeCycle design policies

End-users have the capability of specifying sleep times which occur before simulated methods return control to the caller

Exception throwing is supported

The capability of sharing local variables between simulated Components has been included

The parameters passed into simulated methods are made available to end-users