A Software Package for the Configuration of Hardware Devices Following a Generic Model

This paper describes a software package developed in C++ under the Linux environment that is intended for automatic hardware configuration in VME or PCI buses. Based on a generic model, users specify the configuration procedures and data in configuration files. Actual hardware configuration is performed by the software package, accessed through a simple C++ interface. The model is well suited for storage of configuration data in XML files or databases. The package is now being used in the local data acquisition system of the Electromagnetic Calorimeter of the CMS experiment at CERN.