Controlling the CERN Experimental Area Beams

The CERN fixed target experimental areas are comprised of more than 8km of beam line with around 800 devices used to control and measure the beam. Each year more than 140 groups of users come to perform experiments in these areas, with a need to access the data from these devices. The software to allow this therefore has to be simple, robust, and be able to control and read out all types of beam devices. This contribution describes the functionality of the beamline control system, CESAR, and its evolution. This includes all the features that can be used by the beamline physicists, operators, and device experts that work in the experimental areas. It also underlines the flexibility that the software provides to the experimental users for control of their beam line during data taking, allowing them to manage this in a very easy and independent way. This contribution also covers the on-going work of providing MAD-X support to CESAR to achieve an easier way of developing and integrating beam optics. An overview of the on-going software migration of the Experimental Areas is also given.