The NSTX Central Instrumentation and Control System

Earlier this year the National Spherical Torus experiment (NSTX) at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory achieved "first plasma". The Central Instrumentation and Control system was used to support plasma operations. Major elements of the system include the process control system, plasma control system, network system, data acquisition system, and synchronization system. This paper will focus on the process control system. Topics include the architecture, hardware interface, operator interface, data management, and system performance.