The DIII–D computing environment: characteristics and recent changes

The DIII–D tokamak national fusion research facility along with its predecessor Doublet III has been operating for over 21 years. The DIII–D computing environment consists of: real-time systems controlling the tokamak, heating systems, and diagnostics, and systems acquiring experimental data from instrumentation; major data analysis server nodes performing short term and long term data access and data analysis; and systems providing mechanisms for remote collaboration and the dissemination of information over the world wide web. Computer systems for the facility have undergone incredible changes over the course of time as the computer industry has changed dramatically. Yet there are certain valuable characteristics of the DIII–D computing environment that have been developed over time and have been maintained to this day. Some of these characteristics include: continuous computer infrastructure improvements, distributed data and data access, computing platform integration, and remote collaborations. These characteristics are being carried forward as well as new characteristics resulting from recent changes which have included: a dedicated storage system and a hierarchical storage management system for raw shot data, various further infrastructure improvements including deployment of Fast Ethernet, the introduction of MDSplus, Load Sharing Facility (LSF) and common IDL based graphics tools, and improvements to remote collaboration capabilities. This paper will describe this computing environment, important characteristics that over the years have contributed to the success of DIII–D computing systems, and recent changes to computer systems.