MxCuBE: a synchrotron beamline control environment customized for rnacromolecular crystallography experiments

The design and features of a beamhne control software system for macromolecular crystallography (MX) experiments developed at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) are described This system, M.vOtBE, allows users to easily and simply interact with beamline hardware components and provides automated routines for common tasks in the operation of a synchrotron beamhne dedicated to experiments in MX Additional functionality is provided through intuitive interfaces that enable the assessment of the diffraction characteristics of samples. experiment planning, automatic data collection and the on-line collection and analysis of X-ray emission spectra. The software can be run in a tandem client-server mode that allows for remote control and relevant experimental parameters and results are automatically logged in a relational database. ISI3yB MA-CuBE is modular. flexible and extensible and is currently deployed on eight macromolecular crystalloilraphy beamhnes at the ESRF Additionally, the software is installed at MAX-lab beamhne 1911-3 and at BESSY beamlme BL14 1.