I compiled and ran a simple (i.e. empty) front end controller on scipe12 at wilson house.  I hooked a signal into the ADC and watched it in the auto-generated medm screens. 

There were a couple of gotchas:

1. Add an entry SYS to the file /etc/rc.local, to the /etc/setup_shmem.rtl line, where the system file is SYS.mdl.

2. If necessary, do a BURT restore.  Or in the case of a mockup set the BURT Restore bit (in SYS_GDS_TP.adl) to 1.