Vortex Open Recorder Software the libraries required for streaming recording solutions

The open recorder software libraries include over 20 man-years of software that provide virtually all of the functionality required for single stream recording; just add I/O. But the software is also designed and documented such that additional features are easy to add. For example, header insertion, time stamping, processing in the path, multi-stream recording, multi-stream playback synchronization, quick-look, special API's and GUI's have all been a part of various custom targeted applications for the open data recording engines. Why not have it your way, from small changes to existing recorder solutions to large multi-channel systems targeted to your highly specialized requirements and operational capabilities!

The Open Recorder software libraries are organized into major modules as shown in the above diagram.

The VM_DEVICE_MGR module provides a robust API to create, delete, open, close, scan for, and list storage system devices. Storage system devices defined include the single disk, a RAID0 disk group, a file system, or a file. The VM_DEVICE_MGR operates equally well on both the Fibre Channel (FC) arbitrated loop with one or more disk/RAID devices as well as the large switched FC Storage Area Network (SAN). The scan and list functions are especially useful when moving disks from recording environment to analysis stations as disk groups, file systems, and files are automatically manually scanned and made available to analysis workstations.

The VM_BUFFER_MGR module is used to reserve and release memory buffers that are used for volatile storage of data being transferred between devices such as an I/O board and a file on the SAN. These memory buffers may be local to the CPU or out on a PMC site. The VM_BUFFER GetAdrs function provides the address as seen from the local CPU or as seen from a PMC DMA controller greatly easing the programming of data flow through the recording engine. The application can easily request and manage the data flow into many different buffers filling them with data from different I/O devices, adding headers, outputting quick-look data, ultimately streaming the buffers via the XFER ENGINE that stripes the data to one or more open files on one or more RAID0 disk groups.

The XFER ENGINE module is actually made up of many transfer descriptors that can be pre-created and easily modified to transfer of data from a buffer to a device, usually a file on a RAID0 disk group. Extreme efficiency and flexibility are provided by allowing the application to simultaneously use many transfer descriptors with callback. Implementation of buffer queues is easy allowing independent input tasks to fill buffers while storage tasks empty the buffers to the SAN.

The MIDAS On-board Web Server (MOWS) module provides the primary operator GUI for the open data recorder via the ethernet. As shown below, the MOWS presents a complete web-based GUI that includes the all controls needed to implement a custom data recording solution. There are fully functioning settings pages, storage management pages, disk group pages and file pages. On the file page, there are buttons to control the RECORD, PLAYBACK, and STOP functions of the recorder. Simply include the appropriate library functions in the custom application to hook up the buttons and its ready to run.

Note all of the pre-programmed features and functions in the navigation tree frame to the left, the status frame on the lower left, and the large main frame. The MOWS module provides a large array of built-in GUI functions ready to run - JUST ADD I/O.

The MOWS module is also designed to allow advanced users to implement additional HTML pages for application specific requirements such as control for multi-function control, unique setup or automation needs. There is almost no limit to the power and flexibility of the VORTEX open data recorder MOWS feature.

The XML-RPC tools can be used to build a remote command API to the open recorder via ethernet connection to a remote computer. Commands are defined as C++ classes and the header files run through an XML-RPC module generator. This creates an empty shell for the command interface. Once all the functions of the API are implemented and registered, all XML-RPC clients can be used to call commands in the recorder. XML-RPC clients currently exist in a number of lanquages including C, C++, Java, Java Script, COM, Perl and many others. Or a client can be written using an easy to understand text based protocol. The XML-RPC makes it easy to implement a remote client controlled data recorder.

The open data recorder software running on VXS, VME, cPCI, and PC platforms under VxWorks, Linux or Windows XP making the VORTEX custom programmable data recording system the most powerful, flexible, and easy to use product of its type on the market today.