Comparison between an in-house vs. a commercial control system for beam line control

Two independent magnet and vacuum control systems were implemented in the Low-Energy Demonstration Accelerator (LEDA) facility. The first one, for the High-Energy Beam Transport (HEBT) in context of the Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) project, used the in-house Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS). The second one, for the high-power proton beam-halo experiment (HALO-Channel) as an extension to the existing accelerator, is based on commercial products (National Instruments, LabVIEW). This paper will evaluate our experience during implementation, operation, and maintenance of these systems. It will include a discussion of various problems encountered and solutions implemented.