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On-Line Computing

A new software control system for the VLA will be required to interact with hardware upgrades such as a new LO/IF transmission system and correlator, to support new observing modes and strategies such as mosaicing, dynamic scheduling and real-time imaging, to enable more operator and user interaction with the data being produced by the array, and to archive data at the expected maximum sustained data rate of more than 10 MB/sec.

The VLA's on-line system is now based on two MODCOMP computers of mid-1980's vintage, and the last major rewrite of the control system occurred in 1989.

As part of the we propose to replace the software and hardware controlling the VLA and the existing correlator with modern technology. A design study is currently underway, including an end-to-end analysis of information flow through the entire proposal/observing/reduction process. We expect to coordinate these efforts with parallel on-going VLBA and MMA projects.



Michael Rupen
Fri Mar 26 15:30:00 MST 1999