Director of Network Systems

Today’s data acquisition systems are typically comprised of data collectors connected to multiplexers via serial, point-to-point links. Data flows upstream from the sensors or avionics buses to the data acquisition units, to the multiplexer and finally to the recorder or telemetry transmitter. In a networked data acquisition system, data is transported through the network “cloud”. At the core of the network “cloud ” is the network switch. The switch is responsible for distributing and directing data within the network. Network switches are commonplace in the commercial realm. Many businesses today could not function without them. A network-based data acquisition system, however, places additional burdens on the network switch. As in a commercial network, the switch in a data acquisition system must be able to distribute data packets within the network. In addition, it must be able to perform in a harsh environment, occupy a minimal amount of space, operate with limited or no external cooling, be configurable, and deal with the distribution of time information. This paper describes the required features of a ruggedized network switch and the implementation challenges facing its design. As a core component of a network-based data acquisition system, an ideal switch must be capable of operating in a large number of configurations, transporting and aggregating data between data sources and data sinks, with a mixture of devices operating at rates ranging from a few thousand bits per second to several gigabits per second, over twisted pair or fiber optic links. To ensure time coherency, the switch must also facilitate a time distribution mechanism, e.g., IEEE-1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP). The gigabit switch described here uses the PTP to implement an end-to-end clock synchronization, for distributed acquisition nodes, to within 300 nanoseconds