Product category: PC-Compatible Boards and Assemblies
News Release from: Concurrent Computer Corp
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 24 March 2005

Linux-based systems set
for Australian synchrotron

The Australian subsidiary of Concurrent Computer Corp has delivered the first of multiple iHawk systems to Major Projects Victoria for the Australian Synchrotron Project (ASP)

iHawk, powered by Concurrent's RedHawk real-time Linux, was selected for its highly deterministic response and high performance capabilities to respond to ASP's data acquisition and I/O control (IOC) system requirements. These high performance and distributed IOCs will provide the foundation control system for the synchrotron light beam storage ring.

A synchrotron is a powerful machine (about the size of a football field), which uses beams of light a million times brighter than sunlight to probe the physical structure of materials down to the level of atoms and molecules.

Synchrotrons are essential tools for research and development in many industries, including: biotechnology and drug design; advanced manufacturing; and medical research and diagnosis; as well as meeting requirements for the Australian Defence Force to extend the life of engine components and provide improved ceramic coatings in military jet engines.

The Australian synchrotron will act as an essential new tool for groundbreaking scientific and industrial research.

After an extensive review and selection process, Concurrent was chosen as the preferred supplier due to the company's ability to fully comply with all aspects of the strict commercial requirements and detailed technical specification, while meeting the budgetary requirements, as a condition of the evaluation criteria.

The main application control software specified by the ASP is the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS), which is an open-source set of software tools, libraries and applications developed collaboratively by scientific organisations around the world and used to create distributed real-time control systems for scientific instruments such as particle accelerators, telescopes and other large scientific equipment.

Concurrent's RedHawk real-time Linux operating system is a key component to the solution.

Concurrent has successfully ported the EPICS IOC software to make use of RedHawk's facilities, which has improved the performance of the core EPICS components.

Concurrent's Special Systems Group was able to meet the exact technical requirements using industry best-in-class, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware, complemented by enhanced Linux drivers for all proposed I/O boards, to ensure reliable real-time performance.

Concurrent will also provide custom EPICS drivers and support for all I/O.

'Deterministic response time and high precision control is pivotal to the operation of the Australian synchrotron', said Richard Farnsworth, Lead Control Systems Engineer for the ASP.

'Concurrent's commitment to high performance, mission-critical solutions is evidenced by the company's history of real-time application successes, and its RedHawk Linux platform clearly demonstrated the ability to meet and exceed the strict technical standards required by the operation'.

'The Australian synchrotron project represents enormous potential for innovative advancements in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, environmental sciences and advanced manufacturing for researchers and the creation of a leading national science facility in Melbourne, Victoria', said Warren Neuburger, Concurrent Chief Operating Officer.

'Concurrent's RedHawk Linux delivers deterministic response time that customers around the globe trust and depend on, and we are proud that Major Projects Victoria has chosen Concurrent to play a key role in this milestone science infrastructure project'.

The Australian Synchrotron is scheduled to open in 2007.

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