diff --git a/.github/workflows/buiild.yml b/.github/workflows/buiild.yml
index 5a922db..23d861a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/buiild.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/buiild.yml
@@ -49,3 +49,32 @@ jobs:
           PUSH: ${{ github.event_name == 'push' && startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags') }}
           CACHE: ${{ env.CACHE }}
         run: .github/workflows/build.sh
+
+      - name: Upload schema as artifact
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
+        with:
+          name: ioc-schema
+          path: ./*.ibek.ioc.schema.json
+
+  release:
+    # Release on tag push - publish ioc schema
+    needs: [build-push-images]
+    if: ${{ github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref_type == 'tag' }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
+        with:
+          name: ioc-schema
+          path: ./
+          zip: false
+
+      - name: Github Release
+        uses: softprops/action-gh-release@de2c0eb89ae2a093876385947365aca7b0e5f844 # v0.1.15
+        with:
+          files: |
+            ./*.ibek.ioc.schema.json
+          generate_release_notes: true
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.sh b/.github/workflows/build.sh
index e7e90c8..0ab9fd0 100755
--- a/.github/workflows/build.sh
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.sh
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ TAG=${TAG:-latest}
 REGISTRY=${REGISTRY:-ghcr.io}
 if [[ -z ${REPOSITORY} ]] ; then
     # For local builds, infer the registry from git remote (assumes ghcr)
-    REPOSITORY=$(git remote -v | sed  "s/.*@github.com:\(.*\)\.git.*/ghcr.io\/\1/" | tail -1)
+    REPOSITORY=$(git remote -v | sed   "s/.*@github.com:\(.*\) \(.*\)*/\1/" | tail -1)
     echo "inferred registry ${REPOSITORY}"
 fi
 
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ NEWCACHE=${CACHE}-new
 
 if ! docker -v 2> /dev/null; then
     echo "switching to podman ..."
-    PODMAN=true
+    docker=podman
     shopt -s expand_aliases
     alias docker=podman
 
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ if ! docker -v 2> /dev/null; then
     cachefrom=""
     cacheto=""
 else
+    docker=docker
     # setup a buildx driver for multi-arch / remote cached builds
     docker buildx create --driver docker-container --use
     # docker command line parameters
@@ -58,18 +59,22 @@ do_build() {
         -t ${image_name}
     "
 
-    if [[ ${PUSH} == "true" && ${PODMAN} != "true" ]] ; then
-        args="--push "${args}
+    if [[ $docker != "podman" ]] ; then
+        if [[ ${PUSH} == "true" ]] ; then
+            args="--push "${args}
+        else
+            args="--load "${args}
+        fi
     fi
 
     echo "CONTAINER BUILD FOR ${image_name} with ARCHITECTURE=${ARCHITECTURE} ..."
 
     (
         set -x
-        docker buildx build ${args} ${*} .
+        $docker buildx build ${args} ${*} .
     )
 
-    if [[ ${PUSH} == "true" && ${PODMAN} == "true" ]] ; then
+    if [[ ${PUSH} == "true" && $docker == "podman" ]] ; then
         podman push ${image_name}
     fi
 }
@@ -89,6 +94,19 @@ do_build() {
 do_build ${ARCH} developer ${cachefrom}
 do_build ${ARCH} runtime ${cachefrom} ${cacheto}
 
-# remove old cache to avoid indefinite growth
-rm -rf ${CACHE}
-mv ${NEWCACHE} ${CACHE}
+
+if [[ $docker != "podman" ]] ; then
+    # remove old cache to avoid indefinite growth
+    rm -rf ${CACHE}
+    mv ${NEWCACHE} ${CACHE}
+fi
+
+# get the schema file from the developer container
+echo "Getting schema file from developer container ..."
+id=$($docker create ${image_name})
+# convention for schema name is module.ibek.ioc.schema.json
+# we get this my removing the ioc- prefix from the module name
+SCHEMA=$(basename ${REPOSITORY} | sed 's/^ioc-//').ibek.ioc.schema.json
+$docker cp $id:/epics/ioc/${SCHEMA} .
+$docker rm -v $id
+echo "schema file(s): $(ls *.ibek.ioc.schema.json)"
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index bb84bf7..6ae7439 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,2 +1,4 @@
 .history
 repos*
+# build pulls the schema out of the container - ignore it
+*.ibek.ioc.schema.json
diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index a68fb7f..1933b7a 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -2,3 +2,6 @@
 [submodule "ibek-defs"]
 	path = ibek-defs
 	url = git@github.com:epics-containers/ibek-defs.git
+[submodule "ibek-support"]
+	path = ibek-support
+	url = git@github.com:epics-containers/ibek-support.git
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index d37fcee..1a64bbc 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -1,71 +1,41 @@
 ##### build stage ##############################################################
 
 ARG TARGET_ARCHITECTURE
-ARG BASE=23.3.1
-
-FROM  ghcr.io/epics-containers/epics-base-${TARGET_ARCHITECTURE}-developer:${BASE} AS developer
-
-RUN apt-get update && apt-get upgrade -y && \
-    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
-    libboost-all-dev \
-    libxext-dev \
-    libglib2.0-dev \
-    libusb-1.0 \
-    libxml2-dev \
-    libx11-dev \
-    meson \
-    intltool \
-    pkg-config \
-    xz-utils
-
-# build aravis library
-RUN cd /usr/local && \
-    git clone -b ARAVIS_0_8_1 --depth 1 https://github.com/AravisProject/aravis && \
-    cd aravis && \
-    meson build && \
-    cd build && \
-    ninja && \
-    ninja install && \
-    rm -fr /usr/local/aravis \
-    echo /usr/local/lib64 > /etc/ld.so.conf.d/usr.conf && \
-    ldconfig
-
-COPY ctools /ctools/
-RUN pip install ibek==0.9.5.b2 telnetlib3
+ARG BASE=7.0.7ec1
+ARG REGISTRY=ghcr.io/epics-containers
+
+FROM  ${REGISTRY}/epics-base-${TARGET_ARCHITECTURE}-developer:${BASE} AS developer
+
+# In a devcontainer this folder is mounted on the host's clone of ioc-adsimdetector
+WORKDIR /workspaces/ioc-adsimdetector/ibek-support
+
 # copy the global ibek files
-COPY ibek-defs/_global /ctools/_global/
+COPY ibek-support/_global/ _global
 
-COPY ibek-defs/asyn/ /ctools/asyn/
-RUN python3 modules.py install ASYN R4-42 github.com/epics-modules/asyn.git --patch asyn/asyn.sh
-RUN make -C ${SUPPORT}/asyn -j $(nproc)
+COPY ibek-support/iocStats/ iocStats
+RUN iocStats/install.sh 3.1.16
 
-COPY ibek-defs/autosave/ /ctools/autosave/
-RUN python3 modules.py install AUTOSAVE R5-10-2 github.com/epics-modules/autosave.git --patch autosave/autosave.sh
-RUN make -C ${SUPPORT}/autosave -j $(nproc)
+COPY ibek-support/asyn/ asyn/
+RUN asyn/install.sh R4-42
 
-COPY ibek-defs/busy/ /ctools/busy
-RUN python3 modules.py install BUSY R1-7-3 github.com/epics-modules/busy.git
-RUN make -C ${SUPPORT}/busy -j $(nproc)
+COPY ibek-support/autosave/ autosave/
+RUN autosave/install.sh R5-10-2
 
-COPY ibek-defs/adsupport/ /ctools/adsupport/
-RUN python3 modules.py install ADSUPPORT R1-10 github.com/areaDetector/adsupport.git --patch adsupport/adsupport.sh
-RUN make -C ${SUPPORT}/adsupport -j $(nproc)
+COPY ibek-support/busy/ busy/
+RUN busy/install.sh R1-7-3
 
-COPY ibek-defs/adcore/ /ctools/adcore/
-RUN python3 modules.py install ADCORE R3-12-1 github.com/areaDetector/adcore.git --patch adcore/adcore.sh
-RUN make -C ${SUPPORT}/adcore -j $(nproc)
+COPY ibek-support/ADCore/ ADCore/
+RUN ADCore/install.sh R3-12-1
 
-COPY ibek-defs/adaravis/ /ctools/adaravis/
-RUN python3 modules.py install ADGENICAM R1-8 github.com/areaDetector/adgenicam.git --patch adaravis/adaravis.sh
-RUN make -C ${SUPPORT}/adgenicam -j $(nproc)
+COPY ibek-support/ADAravis/ ADAravis/
+RUN ADAravis/install.sh R2-3
 
-RUN python3 modules.py install ADARAVIS R2-2-1 github.com/areaDetector/adaravis.git --patch adaravis/adaravis.sh
-RUN make -C ${SUPPORT}/adaravis -j $(nproc)
+# Make the IOC
+RUN ibek ioc generate-makefile
+RUN ibek ioc compile
 
-# add the generic IOC source code. TODO: this will be generated by ibek in future
-COPY ioc ${IOC}
-# build generic IOC
-RUN make -C ${IOC} && make clean -C ${IOC}
+# create a schema file for the IOC
+RUN bash -c "ibek ioc generate-schema */*ibek.support.yaml --output ${IOC}/adaravis.ibek.ioc.schema.json"
 
 ##### runtime preparation stage ################################################
 
@@ -73,24 +43,21 @@ FROM developer AS runtime_prep
 
 # get the products from the build stage and reduce to runtime assets only
 WORKDIR /min_files
-RUN bash /ctools/minimize.sh ${IOC} $(ls -d ${SUPPORT}/*/) /ctools
+RUN bash /epics/scripts/minimize.sh ${IOC} $(ls -d ${SUPPORT}/*/)
 
 ##### runtime stage ############################################################
 
-FROM ghcr.io/epics-containers/epics-base-${TARGET_ARCHITECTURE}-runtime:${BASE} AS runtime
-
-RUN apt-get update && apt-get upgrade -y && \
-    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
-    libglib2.0-bin \
-    libusb-1.0 \
-    libxml2 \
-    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+FROM ${REGISTRY}/epics-base-${TARGET_ARCHITECTURE}-runtime:${BASE} AS runtime
 
+# get the virtual environment from the developer stage
+COPY --from=developer /venv /venv
 # add products from build stage
 COPY --from=runtime_prep /min_files /
-COPY --from=developer /venv /venv
 
-# add ioc scripts
+# install runtime system dependencies, collected from install.sh scripts
+RUN ibek support apt-install --runtime
+
+# add ioc sample startup scripts
 COPY ioc ${IOC}
 
 ENV TARGET_ARCHITECTURE ${TARGET_ARCHITECTURE}
diff --git a/build b/build
index fe29d62..5d7e19b 100755
--- a/build
+++ b/build
@@ -1,12 +1,9 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-THIS_DIR="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" >/dev/null 2>&1 && pwd )"
+set -xe
 
-# a script to locally build all targets containers for this IOC
-# Note this requires the ec command form
-# https://github.com/epics-containers/epics-containers-cli
+THIS_DIR="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" >/dev/null 2>&1 && pwd )"
 
-cd ${THIS_DIR}
+export TAG=${TAG:-local}
 
-ec dev build --arch linux
-#ec dev build --arch rtems
+./.github/workflows/build.sh
diff --git a/ibek-defs b/ibek-defs
deleted file mode 160000
index 3fb7493..0000000
--- a/ibek-defs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-Subproject commit 3fb74938a2ed9060b57df8b16e3d9f3c3a4aed8f
diff --git a/ibek-support b/ibek-support
new file mode 160000
index 0000000..2c323eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ibek-support
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit 2c323eb5134946c02622f5f2b9a61eb3886f51a8