COMPUTERS AND PERIPHERAL EQUIPMENT

  The top level of control is provided by UNIX workstations running the Solaris operating system. These provide the platform for the user interface programs and the daemons that collect data, as well as some soft real-time tasks. Table 1 shows the characteristics of the workstations in the GBT M&C system.

 

 

For data storage, a multiport disk array (RAID) is connected to each of the data acquisition computers via fast wide differential SCSI-II interfaces. All data is stored in Flexible Image Transport System (FITS) binary tables [2], unless the data rates are prohibitive, e.g. the spectrometer and spectral processor have a raw mode that simply dumps the data onto the disk in an unformatted manner. Data archiving will be supported with tape and CD-ROM writers.

 
• Data Storage
• General Purpose Computers
• Single board VME computers
• Other VME hardware