diff --git a/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json b/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
index d4ccac8..9d2fd2d 100644
--- a/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
+++ b/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
@@ -15,15 +15,16 @@
         "EC_PROJECT": "${localWorkspaceFolderBasename}"
     },
     "features": {
+        // add quality of life features for developers including git config integration
         "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/common-utils:2": {
-            "installZsh": false,
-            "installOhMyZsh": false,
-            "installOhMyZshConfig": false,
+            // don't upgrade to make this similar to the runtime container
             "upgradePackages": false
         }
     },
     // IMPORTANT for this devcontainer to work with docker EC_REMOTE_USER must be
-    // set to vscode. For podman it should be left blank.
+    // set to vscode. You will run as vscode with full sudo rights.
+    // For podman it should be left blank. You will run as root but host mounts
+    // will be owned by your user.
     "remoteUser": "${localEnv:EC_REMOTE_USER}",
     "customizations": {
         "vscode": {
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@
                 "redhat.vscode-yaml",
                 "ryanluker.vscode-coverage-gutters",
                 "epicsdeb.vscode-epics",
-                "ms-python.black-formatter"
+                "charliermarsh.ruff"
             ]
         }
     },
@@ -47,15 +48,17 @@
     "runArgs": [
         // Allow the container to access the host X11 display and EPICS CA
         "--net=host",
-        // Make sure SELinux does not disable with access to host filesystems like tmp
+        // Make sure SELinux does not disable write access to host filesystems like tmp
         "--security-opt=label=disable"
     ],
-    "workspaceMount": "source=${localWorkspaceFolder},target=/epics/${localWorkspaceFolderBasename},type=bind",
-    "workspaceFolder": "/epics/${localWorkspaceFolderBasename}",
+    // Mount the parent of the project folder so we can access peer projects
+    "workspaceMount": "source=${localWorkspaceFolder}/..,target=/workspaces,type=bind",
+    // mount in other useful files from the host
     "mounts": [
-        // Mount some useful local files from the user's home directory
-        // By mounting the parent of the workspace we can work on multiple peer projects
-        "source=${localWorkspaceFolder}/../,target=/repos,type=bind",
+        // we also mount the project folder into a know location in the container
+        // this is where the ibek-support and ioc folders reside in the container build
+        // in this way the devcontainer and runtime look very similar
+        "source=${localWorkspaceFolder},target=/epics/generic-source,type=bind",
         // this provides eternal bash history in and out of the container
         "source=${localEnv:HOME}/.bash_eternal_history,target=/root/.bash_eternal_history,type=bind",
         // this bashrc hooks up the .bashrc_dev_container in the following mount
diff --git a/.devcontainer/postCreateCommand b/.devcontainer/postCreateCommand
index df4587c..f8160b3 100644
--- a/.devcontainer/postCreateCommand
+++ b/.devcontainer/postCreateCommand
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@
 
 if [[ $USER != "root" ]] ; then
     # make sure the non-root user can build iocs and (mounted in) support modules
-    sudo chown -R ${USER}:${USER} /epics/links /venv
-    sudo chown -h ${USER}:${USER} /epics /epics/ioc
+    sudo chown -R ${USER}:${USER} /epics/ibek-defs /epics/pvi-defs /epics/support/configure /venv
+    sudo chown -h ${USER}:${USER} /epics /epics/ioc /epics/support
 
     # also give non-root user access to the same bash config we use in podman
     sudo chmod a+rx /root
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ fi
 # all epics-containers devcontainers
 ################################################################################
 
-
 # add user's custom profile container creation script
 if [ -f ~/.bashprofile_dev_container ]; then
     . ~/.bashprofile_dev_container
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.sh b/.github/workflows/build.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 412a0e9..0000000
--- a/.github/workflows/build.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,45 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-# A generic build script for epics-containers ioc repositories
-#
-# Note that this is implemented in bash to make it portable between
-# CI frameworks. This approach uses the minimum of GitHub Actions.
-# Also works locally for testing outside of CI
-#
-# INPUTS:
-#   PUSH: if true, push the container image to the registry
-#   TAG: the tag to use for the container image
-#   PLATFORM: the platform to build for (linux/amd64 or linux/arm64)
-#   CACHE: the directory to use for caching
-
-export EC_TAG="--tag ${TAG:-latest}"
-export EC_PLATFORM="--platform ${PLATFORM:-linux/amd64}"
-export EC_CACHE="${CACHE:-/tmp/ec-cache}"
-if [[ "${PUSH}" == 'true' ]] ; then EC_PUSH='--push' ; fi
-
-THIS=$(dirname ${0})
-set -xe
-mkdir -p ${EC_CACHE}
-
-# get the current version of ec CLI
-pip install -r ${THIS}/../../requirements_ec.txt
-
-# add cache arguments - local file cache passed by github seems to be most reliable
-export EC_CARGS="
-    --cache-from type=local,src=${EC_CACHE}
-    --cache-to type=local,dest=${EC_CACHE}
-"
-
-# add extra cross compilation platforms below if needed  e.g.
-#   ec dev build  --arch rtems ... for RTEMS cross compile
-
-# build runtime and developer images
-ec -v dev build ${EC_TAG} ${EC_PLATFORM} ${EC_PUSH} ${EC_CARGS}
-
-# extract the ioc schema from the runtime image
-ec dev launch-local ${EC_TAG} --execute 'ibek ioc generate-schema' > ibek.ioc.schema.json
-
-# run acceptance tests
-shopt -s nullglob # expand to nothing if no tests are found
-for t in "${THIS}/../../tests/*.sh"; do ${t}; done
-
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 4d85407..fe03d58 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -11,57 +11,60 @@ jobs:
     permissions:
       contents: read
       packages: write
-    env:
-      CACHE: /tmp/.buildx-cache
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
+      max-parallel: 1 # take advantage of caching
       matrix:
+        target: [developer, runtime]
+        architecture: [linux]
         include:
-          - architecture: linux
-            os: ubuntu-latest
-            platform: linux/amd64
+          - os: ubuntu-latest
+            platforms: linux/amd64
 
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
+    env:
+      TAG: ghcr.io/${{ github.repository_owner }}/${{ github.event.repository.name }}-${{ matrix.architecture }}-${{ matrix.target }}:${{ github.ref_name }}
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v3
         with:
           submodules: recursive
 
-      - name: Cache Docker layers
-        uses: actions/cache@v2
-        with:
-          path: ${{ env.CACHE }}
-          key: ${{ runner.os }}-${{ matrix.architecture }}-buildx-${{ github.sha }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            ${{ runner.os }}-${{ matrix.architecture }}-buildx-
-
       - name: Log in to GitHub Docker Registry
-        uses: docker/login-action@v1
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
         with:
           registry: ghcr.io/${{ github.repository_owner }}
           username: ${{ github.actor }}
           password: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
 
-      - name: Setup python
-        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
+      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
+        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
+
+      - name: Build image
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
         with:
-          python-version: "3.10"
+          context: .
+          platforms: ${{ matrix.platforms }}
+          target: ${{ matrix.target }}
+          build-args: TARGET_ARCHITECTURE=${{ matrix.architecture }}
+          tags: ${{ env.TAG }}
+          cache-from: type=gha
+          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max
+          load: true
 
-      - name: Docker Build Script
-        env:
-          ARCH: ${{ matrix.architecture }}
-          PLATFORM: ${{ matrix.platform }}
-          TAG: ${{ github.ref_name }}
-          PUSH: ${{ github.event_name == 'push' && startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags') }}
-          CACHE: ${{ env.CACHE }}
-        run: .github/workflows/build.sh
+      - name: Test image
+        run: tests/run-tests.sh
 
-      - name: Upload schema as artifact
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
+      - name: Push image
+        if: ${{ github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref_type == 'tag' }}
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
         with:
-          name: ioc-schema
-          path: ibek.ioc.schema.json
+          context: .
+          platforms: ${{ matrix.platforms }}
+          target: ${{ matrix.target }}
+          build-args: TARGET_ARCHITECTURE=${{ matrix.architecture }}
+          tags: ${{ env.TAG }}
+          push: true
 
   release:
     # Release on tag push - publish ioc schema
@@ -69,11 +72,14 @@ jobs:
     if: ${{ github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref_type == 'tag' }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
 
+    # this job runs in the (linux) developer container we just made
+    container:
+      image: ghcr.io/${{ github.repository_owner }}/${{ github.event.repository.name }}-linux-developer:${{ github.ref_name }}
+
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          name: ioc-schema
-          path: ./
+      - name: generate-schema
+        run: |
+          ibek ioc generate-schema --output ibek.ioc.schema.json
 
       - name: Github Release
         uses: softprops/action-gh-release@de2c0eb89ae2a093876385947365aca7b0e5f844 # v0.1.15
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index fb96ef2..a13736e 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -8,14 +8,11 @@ repos*
 # while working on ibek with this project somethimes include it as subfolder
 ibek
 
-# The ioc source tree is created here from a template inside the generic ioc
-# repo.
-# Remove from .gitignore if you want to customize the template.
-/ioc/
-
 # dont save workspaces as other users will have differing folders
 *workspace
 
+# config folder is there to be replaced there is just a dummy with Readme.
+ioc/config
 
-# opi folder is created to hold generated operator interface files
-/opi/
+# podman may leave this around in aborted builds
+.build.swp
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 5a68865..ef1af6c 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -1,18 +1,22 @@
 ##### build stage ##############################################################
 
 ARG TARGET_ARCHITECTURE
-ARG BASE=7.0.7ec2
+ARG BASE=7.0.7ec3
 ARG REGISTRY=ghcr.io/epics-containers
 
 FROM  ${REGISTRY}/epics-base-${TARGET_ARCHITECTURE}-developer:${BASE} AS developer
 
+# The devcontainer mounts the project root to /epics/generic-source
+# Using the same location here makes devcontainer/runtime differences transparent.
+ENV SOURCE_FOLDER=/epics/generic-source
+# connect ioc source folder to its know location
+RUN ln -s ${SOURCE_FOLDER}/ioc ${IOC}
+
 # Get latest ibek while in development. Will come from epics-base when stable
 COPY requirements.txt requirements.txt
 RUN pip install --upgrade -r requirements.txt
 
-# The devcontainer mounts the project root to /epics/ioc-adsimdetector. Using
-# the same location here makes devcontainer/runtime differences transparent.
-WORKDIR /epics/ioc-adaravis/ibek-support
+WORKDIR ${SOURCE_FOLDER}/ibek-support
 
 # copy the global ibek files
 COPY ibek-support/_global/ _global
@@ -44,15 +48,16 @@ RUN ADGenICam/install.sh R1-9
 COPY ibek-support/ADAravis/ ADAravis/
 RUN ADAravis/install.sh R2-3
 
-# create IOC source tree, generate Makefile and compile IOC Instance
-RUN ibek ioc build
+# get the ioc source and build it
+COPY ioc ${SOURCE_FOLDER}/ioc
+RUN cd ${IOC} && make
 
 ##### runtime preparation stage ################################################
 
 FROM developer AS runtime_prep
 
 # get the products from the build stage and reduce to runtime assets only
-RUN ibek ioc extract-runtime-assets /assets --extras /usr/local/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu
+RUN ibek ioc extract-runtime-assets /assets ${SOURCE_FOLDER}/ibek* /usr/local/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu
 
 ##### runtime stage ############################################################
 
diff --git a/build b/build
index ca9d319..7c5d905 100755
--- a/build
+++ b/build
@@ -4,18 +4,24 @@
 # generic local build script for epics-containers ioc repositories             #
 ################################################################################
 
-# pass rtems as first argument to build RTEMS on cross-compiler
-TARGET_ARCHITECTURE=${1:-linux}
+# set TARGET_ARCHITECTURE to rtems for RTEMS based targets
+T_A=${TARGET_ARCHITECTURE:-linux}
+# set TARGET to runtime for runtime images
+TARGET=${TARGET:-developer}
+# set TAG to override the default tag
+TAG=${TAG:-ec_test}
 
+# log commands and stop on erros
 set -xe
 
 cd $(dirname ${0})
 
+# use docker if available else use podman
+if ! docker version &>/dev/null; then alias docker=podman; fi
+
 # make sure new repos get their submodule ibek-support
 git submodule update --init
 
-# build runtime and developer images
-ec dev build --arch ${TARGET_ARCHITECTURE}
+# build and developer images
+docker build -t ${TAG} --build-arg TARGET_ARCHITECTURE=$T_A --target $TARGET .
 
-# get the schema file from the developer container and save it locally
-ec dev launch-local --execute 'ibek ioc generate-schema' > ibek.ioc.schema.json
diff --git a/ibek-support b/ibek-support
index 64813f4..3f69380 160000
--- a/ibek-support
+++ b/ibek-support
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 64813f496038b16d14e0b632f61feaa81d159371
+Subproject commit 3f69380c62bfade750e67184c71d0c2f9b14f034
diff --git a/ioc/.gitignore b/ioc/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f815a88
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ioc/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+*~
+O.*
+bin
+dbd
+db
+data
+lib
+.svn*
+iocs/*IOC*
+.idea
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ioc/Makefile b/ioc/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2c82d61
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ioc/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+TOP = .
+include $(TOP)/configure/CONFIG
+
+DIRS += configure
+DIRS += iocApp/src
+
+include $(TOP)/configure/RULES_TOP
diff --git a/ioc/configure/CONFIG b/ioc/configure/CONFIG
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..722d9ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ioc/configure/CONFIG
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+# CONFIG - Load build configuration data
+#
+# Do not make changes to this file!
+
+# Allow user to override where the build rules come from
+RULES = $(EPICS_BASE)
+
+# RELEASE files point to other application tops
+include $(TOP)/configure/RELEASE
+-include $(TOP)/configure/RELEASE.$(EPICS_HOST_ARCH).Common
+ifdef T_A
+-include $(TOP)/configure/RELEASE.Common.$(T_A)
+-include $(TOP)/configure/RELEASE.$(EPICS_HOST_ARCH).$(T_A)
+endif
+
+CONFIG = $(RULES)/configure
+include $(CONFIG)/CONFIG
+-include $(CONFIG)/CONFIG.Dls
+
+# Override the Base definition:
+INSTALL_LOCATION = $(TOP)
+
+# CONFIG_SITE files contain other build configuration settings
+include $(TOP)/configure/CONFIG_SITE
+-include $(TOP)/configure/CONFIG_SITE.$(EPICS_HOST_ARCH).Common
+ifdef T_A
+ -include $(TOP)/configure/CONFIG_SITE.Common.$(T_A)
+ -include $(TOP)/configure/CONFIG_SITE.$(EPICS_HOST_ARCH).$(T_A)
+endif
+
diff --git a/ioc/configure/CONFIG_SITE b/ioc/configure/CONFIG_SITE
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7eaf11b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ioc/configure/CONFIG_SITE
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# CONFIG_SITE
+
+CROSS_COMPILER_TARGET_ARCHS =
+CHECK_RELEASE = NO
+
diff --git a/ioc/configure/Makefile b/ioc/configure/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9254309
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ioc/configure/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+TOP=..
+
+include $(TOP)/configure/CONFIG
+
+TARGETS = $(CONFIG_TARGETS)
+CONFIGS += $(subst ../,,$(wildcard $(CONFIG_INSTALLS)))
+
+include $(TOP)/configure/RULES
diff --git a/ioc/configure/RELEASE b/ioc/configure/RELEASE
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..57c536e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ioc/configure/RELEASE
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# The following definitions must be changed for each site
+#
+# Common prefixes
+SUPPORT=/epics/support
+include $(SUPPORT)/configure/RELEASE
diff --git a/ioc/configure/RULES b/ioc/configure/RULES
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3425740
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ioc/configure/RULES
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+# RULES
+
+-include $(CONFIG)/RULES.Dls
+include $(CONFIG)/RULES
+
+# Library should be rebuilt because LIBOBJS may have changed.
+$(LIBNAME): ../Makefile
diff --git a/ioc/configure/RULES.ioc b/ioc/configure/RULES.ioc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..901987c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ioc/configure/RULES.ioc
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+#RULES.ioc
+include $(CONFIG)/RULES.ioc
diff --git a/ioc/configure/RULES_DIRS b/ioc/configure/RULES_DIRS
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3ba269d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ioc/configure/RULES_DIRS
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+#RULES_DIRS
+include $(CONFIG)/RULES_DIRS
diff --git a/ioc/configure/RULES_TOP b/ioc/configure/RULES_TOP
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d09d668
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ioc/configure/RULES_TOP
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#RULES_TOP
+include $(CONFIG)/RULES_TOP
+
diff --git a/ioc/iocApp/src/Makefile b/ioc/iocApp/src/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f7d5648
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ioc/iocApp/src/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+# Generic IOC Makefile
+
+TOP = ../..
+include $(TOP)/configure/CONFIG
+
+PROD_IOC = ioc
+DBD += ioc.dbd
+ioc_DBD += base.dbd
+
+# add in the dbds collected by ibek during container build
+ioc_DBD += $(shell cat /epics/support/configure/dbd_list)
+
+ioc_SRCS += ioc_registerRecordDeviceDriver.cpp
+
+# add in the libs collected by ibek during container build
+ioc_LIBS += $(shell cat /epics/support/configure/lib_list)
+
+ioc_LIBS += $(EPICS_BASE_IOC_LIBS)
+ioc_SRCS += iocMain.cpp
+
+include $(TOP)/configure/RULES
diff --git a/ioc/iocApp/src/iocMain.cpp b/ioc/iocApp/src/iocMain.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e45dda1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ioc/iocApp/src/iocMain.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+/* This file was automatically generated on Fri 25 May 2018 08:06:10 BST from
+ * source: /home/hgv27681/R3.14.12.3/support/pmac/etc/makeIocs/lab.xml
+ *
+ * *** Please do not edit this file: edit the source file instead. ***
+ *  */
+#include "epicsExit.h"
+#include "epicsThread.h"
+#include "iocsh.h"
+
+int main(int argc, char *argv[])
+{
+    if(argc>=2) {
+        iocsh(argv[1]);
+        epicsThreadSleep(.2);
+    }
+    iocsh(NULL);
+    epicsExit(0);
+    return 0;
+}
+
diff --git a/ioc/liveness.sh b/ioc/liveness.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..b0f5c0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ioc/liveness.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+TOP=/epics/ioc
+cd ${TOP}
+CONFIG_DIR=${TOP}/config
+
+set -ex
+
+CONFIG_DIR=/epics/ioc/config
+THIS_SCRIPT=$(realpath ${0})
+override=${CONFIG_DIR}/liveness.sh
+
+if [[ -f ${override} && ${override} != ${THIS_SCRIPT} ]]; then
+    exec bash ${override}
+fi
+
+if [[ ${K8S_IOC_LIVENESS_ENABLED} != 'true' ]]; then
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+# use devIOCStats UPTIME as the default liveness PV
+# but allow override from the environment
+K8S_IOC_PV=${K8S_IOC_PV:-"${IOC_PREFIX}:UPTIME"}
+
+# use default CA PORT or override from the environment
+K8S_IOC_PORT=${K8S_IOC_PORT:-5064}
+
+export EPICS_CA_ADDR_LIST=${K8S_IOC_ADDRESS}
+export EPICS_CA_SERVER_PORT=${K8S_IOC_PORT}
+
+# verify that the IOC is running
+if caget ${K8S_IOC_PV} ; then
+    exit 0
+else
+    # send the error message to the container's main process stdout
+    echo "Liveness check failed for ${IOC_NAME}" > /proc/1/fd/1
+    echo "Failing PV: ${K8S_IOC_PV}" > /proc/1/fd/2
+    echo "Address list: ${EPICS_CA_ADDR_LIST}" > /proc/1/fd/2
+    echo "CA Port: ${EPICS_CA_SERVER_PORT}" > /proc/1/fd/2
+    exit 1
+fi
diff --git a/ioc/start.sh b/ioc/start.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..344edef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ioc/start.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,157 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+description='
+
+ The epics-containers IOC Startup Script
+ =======================================
+
+ This script is used to start an EPICS IOC in a Kubernetes pod. Implementers
+ of generic IOCs are free to replace this script with their own. But
+ this script as is should work for most IOCs.
+
+ When a generic IOC runs in a kubernetes pod it is expected to have
+ a config folder that defines the IOC instance.
+ The helm chart for the generic IOC will mount the config folder
+ as a configMap and this turns a generic IOC into a specific IOC instance.
+
+ Here we support the following set of options for the contents of
+ the config folder:
+
+ 1. start.sh ******************************************************************
+    If the config folder contains a start.sh script it will be executed.
+    This allows the instance implementer to provide a completely custom
+    startup script. Any other files that the script needs can also be placed
+    in the config folder.
+
+    The presence of this file overrides all other options.
+
+    WARNING: config maps are restricted to 1MB total.
+
+ 2. ioc.yaml *************************************************************
+    If the config folder contains a yaml file we invoke the ibek tool to
+    generate the startup script and database. Then launch with the generated
+    startup script. The file name should be the name of the ioc with a 'yaml'
+    extension e.g. bl38p-ea-panda-02.yaml. Using a unique name allows for:
+
+        ioc_name: "{{ ioc_yaml_file_name }}"
+
+    at the top of the file and in turn "{{ ioc_name }}"" can be used in any
+    of the fields within the file.
+
+ 3. st.cmd + ioc.subst *********************************************************
+    If the config folder contains a st.cmd script and a ioc.subst file then
+    optionally generate ioc.db from the ioc.subst file and use the st.cmd script
+    as the IOC startup script. Note that the expanded database file will
+    be generated in ${RUNTIME_DIR}/ioc.db
+
+ 4. empty config folder *******************************************************
+    If the config folder is empty this message will be displayed.
+
+
+ RTEMS IOCS - RTEMS IOC startup files can be generated using any of the above.
+
+ For RTEMS we do not execute the ioc inside of the pod. Instead we:
+  - copy the IOC directory to the RTEMS mount point
+  - send a reboot command to the RTEMS crate
+  - start a telnet session to the RTEMS IOC console and connect that to
+    stdio of the pod.
+
+'
+
+# error reporting *************************************************************
+
+function ibek_error {
+    echo "${1}"
+
+    # Wait for a bit so the container does not exit and restart continually
+    sleep 10
+}
+
+# environment setup ************************************************************
+
+# log commands and stop on errors
+set -xe
+
+cd ${IOC}
+CONFIG_DIR=${IOC}/config
+
+# add module paths to environment for use in ioc startup script
+if [[ -f ${SUPPORT}/configure/RELEASE.shell ]]; then
+    source ${SUPPORT}/configure/RELEASE.shell
+fi
+
+# override startup script
+override=${CONFIG_DIR}/start.sh
+# source YAML for IOC Builder for EPICS on Kubernetes (ibek)
+ibek_yamls=(${CONFIG_DIR}/*.yaml)
+# Startup script for EPICS IOC generated by ibek
+ioc_startup=${CONFIG_DIR}/st.cmd
+
+# folder for runtime assets
+export RUNTIME_DIR=${EPICS_ROOT}/runtime
+mkdir -p ${RUNTIME_DIR}
+
+# expanded database file
+epics_db=${RUNTIME_DIR}/ioc.db
+
+# in case there are multiple YAML, pick the first one in the glob
+ibek_src=${ibek_yamls[0]}
+
+if [ -d ${CONFIG_DIR} ]; then
+    echo "checking config folder ${CONFIG_DIR}"
+    ls -al ${CONFIG_DIR}
+else
+    echo "ERROR: No config folder found."
+    ibek_error "${description}"
+fi
+
+# 1. start.sh override script **************************************************
+if [ -f ${override} ]; then
+    exec bash ${override}
+# 2. ioc.yaml ******************************************************************
+elif [ -f ${ibek_src} ]; then
+
+    if [[ ${#ibek_yams[@]} > 1 ]]; then
+        ibek_error "ERROR: Multiple YAML files found in ${CONFIG_DIR}."
+    fi
+
+    # Database generation script generated by ibek
+    db_src=${RUNTIME_DIR}/ioc.subst
+    final_ioc_startup=${RUNTIME_DIR}/st.cmd
+
+    # get the ibek support yaml files this ioc's support modules
+    defs=/epics/ibek-defs/*.ibek.support.yaml
+    ibek runtime generate ${ibek_src} ${defs} --out ${final_ioc_startup} --db-out ${db_src}
+
+    # build expanded database using msi
+    if [ -f ${db_src} ]; then
+        includes=$(for i in ${SUPPORT}/*/db; do echo -n "-I $i "; done)
+        bash -c "msi -o${epics_db} ${includes} -I${RUNTIME_DIR} -S${db_src}"
+    fi
+
+# 2. st.cmd + ioc.subst ************************************************
+elif [ -f ${ioc_startup} ] ; then
+
+    if [ -f ${CONFIG_DIR}/ioc.subst ]; then
+        # generate ioc.db from ioc.subst, including all templates from SUPPORT
+        includes=$(for i in ${SUPPORT}/*/db; do echo -n "-I $i "; done)
+        msi ${includes} -I${RUNTIME_DIR} -S ${CONFIG_DIR}/ioc.subst -o ${epics_db}
+    fi
+    final_ioc_startup=${ioc_startup}
+# 4. incorrect config folder ***************************************************
+else
+    echo "ERROR: No startup assets found in ${CONFIG_DIR}"
+    ibek_error "${description}"
+fi
+
+# Launch the IOC ***************************************************************
+
+if [[ ${TARGET_ARCHITECTURE} == "rtems" ]] ; then
+    echo "RTEMS IOC startup - copying IOC to RTEMS mount point ..."
+    cp -r ${IOC} ${K8S_IOC_ROOT}
+    sleep 100
+else
+    # Execute the IOC binary and pass the startup script as an argument
+    exec ${IOC}/bin/linux-x86_64/ioc ${final_ioc_startup}
+fi
+
diff --git a/ioc/stop.sh b/ioc/stop.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f734409
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ioc/stop.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+TOP=/epics/ioc
+cd ${TOP}
+CONFIG_DIR=${TOP}/config
+
+override=${CONFIG_DIR}/stop.sh
+
+if [[ -f ${override} ]]; then
+    exec bash ${override}
+elif [[ ${RTEMS_VME_AUTO_REBOOT} == 'true' ]] ; then
+    # This is a placeholder for a script that is called when the pod is stopped.
+    # Placing your own stop.sh in the config directory will override this script.
+
+    # No action is required here for RTEMS because the start.sh script will
+    # monitor for SIG_TERM and reboot the IOC when it is received.
+fi
+
+
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 7ccac7b..452119c 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
-ibek==1.5.4
-# to install direct from github during development in the dev branch:
-#git+https://github.com/epics-containers/ibek.git@dev
+ibek==1.6.2
+# to install direct from github during development in a branch
+# git+https://github.com/epics-containers/ibek.git@fix-extract-assets
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/requirements_ec.txt b/requirements_ec.txt
deleted file mode 100644
index 67af14e..0000000
--- a/requirements_ec.txt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-epics-containers-cli==2.6.9
-# to install direct from github during development in the dev branch:
-#git+https://github.com/epics-containers/epics-containers-cli.git@dev
diff --git a/tests/config/bl00i-ea-test-ioc.yaml b/tests/config/bl00i-ea-test-ioc.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..50c768d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/config/bl00i-ea-test-ioc.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://github.com/epics-containers/ioc-template/releases/download/2024.1.1/ibek.ioc.schema.json
+
+ioc_name: "{{ ioc_yaml_file_name }}"
+
+description: Very generic instance for testing generic IOCs
+
+entities:
+  - type: epics.EpicsEnvSet
+    name: EPICS_TZ
+    value: "GMT0BST"
+
+  - type: devIocStats.iocAdminSoft
+    IOC: "{{ ioc_name | upper }}"
+
+  - type: epics.StartupCommand
+    command: dbLoadRecords("/epics/ioc/config/ioc.db")
+
+  - type: epics.dbpf
+    pv: EXAMPLE:IBEK:A
+    value: "2.54"
+
+  - type: epics.dbpf
+    pv: EXAMPLE:IBEK:B
+    value: "2.61"
+
+  - type: epics.PostStartupCommand
+    command: |
+      dbgf EXAMPLE:IBEK:SUM
+      dbgf BL00I-EA-TEST-IOC:ST_SCRIPT1
diff --git a/tests/example-ibek-config/ioc.db b/tests/config/ioc.db
similarity index 100%
rename from tests/example-ibek-config/ioc.db
rename to tests/config/ioc.db
diff --git a/tests/example-config/calc.db b/tests/example-config/calc.db
deleted file mode 100644
index ae23846..0000000
--- a/tests/example-config/calc.db
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,26 +0,0 @@
-record(calc, "EXAMPLE2:SUM") {
-  field(DESC, "Sum A and B")
-  field(CALC, "A+B")
-  field(INPA, "EXAMPLE2:A")
-  field(INPB, "EXAMPLE2:B")
-}
-
-record(ao, "EXAMPLE2:A") {
-    field(DESC, "A voltage")
-    field(PREC, "3")
-    field(EGU,  "Volts")
-    field(DRVL, "-10")
-    field(DRVH, "+10")
-    field(VAL,  "0.000")
-    field(FLNK, "EXAMPLE2:SUM")
-}
-
-record(ao, "EXAMPLE2:B") {
-    field(DESC, "B voltage")
-    field(PREC, "3")
-    field(EGU,  "Volts")
-    field(DRVL, "-10")
-    field(DRVH, "+10")
-    field(VAL,  "0.000")
-    field(FLNK, "EXAMPLE2:SUM")
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/example-config/ioc.substitutions b/tests/example-config/ioc.substitutions
deleted file mode 100644
index 4fa1884..0000000
--- a/tests/example-config/ioc.substitutions
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-
-# Macros:
-#  IOC  Device prefix
-file $(IOCSTATS)/db/iocAdminSoft.db
-{
-pattern { IOC }
-    { "test-ioc" }
-}
-
-# Macros:
-#  IOC  Device prefix
-file $(IOCSTATS)/db/iocAdminScanMon.db
-{
-pattern { IOC }
-    { "test-ioc" }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/example-config/st.cmd b/tests/example-config/st.cmd
deleted file mode 100644
index 61720df..0000000
--- a/tests/example-config/st.cmd
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-# Example hand coded IOC startup script for example-config
-cd "/epics/ioc"
-
-epicsEnvSet "EPICS_CA_MAX_ARRAY_BYTES", '6000000'
-
-dbLoadDatabase "dbd/ioc.dbd"
-ioc_registerRecordDeviceDriver(pdbbase)
-
-dbLoadRecords("config/calc.db")
-dbLoadRecords("/tmp/ioc.db")
-
-iocInit()
diff --git a/tests/example-ibek-config/ioc.yaml b/tests/example-ibek-config/ioc.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 5740795..0000000
--- a/tests/example-ibek-config/ioc.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-ioc_name: test-ibek-ioc
-description: a basic example for testing ioc-template
-
-entities:
-  - type: devIocStats.iocAdminSoft
-    IOC: test-ibek-ioc
-
-  - type: epics.StartupCommand
-    command: dbLoadRecords("/epics/ioc/config/ioc.db")
diff --git a/tests/run-tests.sh b/tests/run-tests.sh
index f56fde5..76ca99c 100755
--- a/tests/run-tests.sh
+++ b/tests/run-tests.sh
@@ -5,36 +5,35 @@
 # all present and correct and that mounting IOC config or ibek config
 # works as expected.
 
-THIS_DIR=$(realpath $(dirname $0))
-ROOT=$(realpath ${THIS_DIR}/..)
+THIS=$(realpath $(dirname $0))
+ROOT=$(realpath ${THIS}/..)
+CONF=/epics/ioc/config
 
+# log commands and stop on errorsr
 set -ex
 
+# use docker if available else use podman
+if ! docker version &>/dev/null; then alias docker=podman; fi
+
 cd ${ROOT}
-# Build the container (inherit arguments from CI workflow if set) ##############
-ec dev build ${EC_TAG}
-
-# try out an ibek config IOC instance with the generic IOC #####################
-ec dev launch-local tests/example-config --args '-dit' ${EC_TAG}
-ec dev wait-pv EXAMPLE2:A --attempts 20
-ec dev exec 'caput EXAMPLE2:A 1.3'
-ec dev exec 'caput EXAMPLE2:B 1.2'
-ec dev exec 'caget EXAMPLE2:SUM' | grep '2.5'
-
-# Test an ibek IOC #############################################################
-ec dev launch-local tests/example-ibek-config --args '-dit' ${EC_TAG}
-ec dev wait-pv EXAMPLE:IBEK:A --attempts 20
-ec dev exec 'caput EXAMPLE:IBEK:A 1.3'
-ec dev exec 'caput EXAMPLE:IBEK:B 1.2'
-ec dev exec 'caget EXAMPLE:IBEK:SUM' | grep '2.5'
-ec dev exec 'caget test-ibek-ioc:EPICS_VERS' | grep 'R7.0.7'
-
-# Stop the test IOC ############################################################
-ec dev stop
-
-# Done #########################################################################
-echo
-echo "All tests passed!"
+
+# if a tag was passed in this implies it was already built
+export TAG=${TAG:-ec_test}
+if [[ ${TAG} == "ec_test" ]] ; then TARGET=runtime ./build; fi
+
+# try out a test ibek config IOC instance with the generic IOC
+result=$(docker run --rm -v ${THIS}/config:${CONF} ${TAG} /epics/ioc/start.sh 2>&1)
+
+# check that the IOC output expected results
+if echo "${result}" | grep -i error; then
+    echo "ERROR: errors in IOC startup"
+    exit 1
+elif [[ ! ${result} =~ "5.15" || ! ${result} =~ "/epics/runtime/st.cmd" ]]; then
+    echo "ERROR: dbgf output not as expected"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "Tests passed!"
 
 
 
diff --git a/user_examples/.bashprofile_dev_container b/user_examples/.bashprofile_dev_container
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e5af527
--- /dev/null
+++ b/user_examples/.bashprofile_dev_container
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+################################################################################
+# Custom profile for epics-containers devcontainer                             #
+#                                                                              #
+# This will run inside the devcontainer after creation                         #
+################################################################################
+
+# apt-get update
+# apt-get -y --no-install-recommends install vimdiff
+# apt-get install what you like
+
+# add command line completion to the ibek tool
+ibek --install-completion bash
+
diff --git a/user_examples/.bashrc_dev_container b/user_examples/.bashrc_dev_container
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0ca306a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/user_examples/.bashrc_dev_container
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+################################################################################
+###### This is sourced by all terminals epics-containers IOC devcontainer ######
+###### personal .bashrc_dev for setting up environment in devcontainers   ######
+################################################################################
+
+export LS_OPTIONS='--color=auto'
+eval "$(dircolors)" 2> /dev/null
+alias ls='ls $LS_OPTIONS'
+alias ll='ls $LS_OPTIONS -l'
+alias l='ls $LS_OPTIONS -lA'
+
+# Save all history forever
+# Add these to your user's .bashrc to keep a single history inside and out of containers
+export HISTCONTROL=ignoreboth:erasedups  # Remove adjacent duplicate entries
+export HISTSIZE=                         # Unlimited history
+export HISTFILESIZE=                     # Unlimited history
+# Use a unique bash history file so it doesn't get manually trucated by applications
+export HISTFILE=${HOME}/.bash_eternal_history
+shopt -s histappend                      # Append to history, don't overwrite it
+export PROMPT_COMMAND='history -a'
+
+# add git completion
+if [[ ! -f /tmp/git-completion.bash ]]; then
+  wget -q -P /tmp  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/git/git/master/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
+fi
+source /tmp/git-completion.bash
diff --git a/user_examples/README.md b/user_examples/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..94bc520
--- /dev/null
+++ b/user_examples/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+User Customization Examples
+===========================
+
+Users can customize their epics-containers developer containers by copying
+the files in this folder into their home directory and customizing them as
+required.
+
+epics-containers .devcontainer configuration will automatically pick up
+these files from the home directory.
+
+- .bashrc_dev_container: runs on start of every new shell in the container.
+- /bashprofile_dev_container: runs once immediately after the creation
+  of a devcontainer.
\ No newline at end of file