Getting started & installation

Before you start

• Networked lab PCs: the PCs connected to your instruments should be on the same LAN as the Semphony control server, or be able to reach it over the network.
• Basic admin rights: someone in your lab or IT team should be able to install software on the control server machine and on the device PCs.
• User accounts: Semphony uses authentication, email verification and two-factor authentication to protect access to the dashboard.

Where to run the control server

The control server is lightweight and can run on modest hardware. A very common setup is:

• A small always-on node such as a Raspberry Pi or other Ubuntu or Debian based light server in the lab.
• Connected to the same LAN as your instrument PCs and other devices you want to control.

As long as the control server has a reliable LAN connection to the devices, Semphony does not require a large central cluster or complex IT infrastructure, which keeps the barrier to entry low for new labs.

Devices and device agents

Devices are registered in Semphony and represent your instruments. A device agent is a small process that runs close to the instrument and talks to the control server. Device agents are usually installed on:

• Instrument PCs that already run the vendor software.
• Dedicated gateway machines that sit between several devices and the network.

Each device agent is configured with the address of the control server and credentials so it can register itself, receive commands, and report logs and metrics.

First-time lab setup checklist

• The control server is running and reachable from at least one lab PC.
• At least one device agent has been installed and connected.
• A simple test system has been defined in the Semphony dashboard, linking a device to a piece of hardware.

Once this basic setup is in place, you can start experimenting with small automated sequences and build towards fully automated in-situ experiments.