Shipboard Data Highway

The requirement for the efficient transfer of data from place to place in a research environment has been addressed by the Shipboard Data Highway. Access to this local area network is gained via the international standard, IEEE 488, making it compatible with much of the instrumentation already available to researchers. This paper reviews the design of the Shipboard Data Highway and provides an overview of the hardware and software. The resident security system which adds a degree of user protection is also discussed. The Shipboard Data Highway is in service in the Research Vessel WILFRED TEMPLEMAN.