A review of technologies for the transport of digital data in recent physics experiments

This paper describes past and present techniques and technologies for the transport of digital data in recent physics experiments. After an overview of the typical requirements for modern data acquisition systems in the field of large scale experimental physics, we detail the successes and failures observed over the last 20 years of evolution of high-speed point-to-point link technology, networking standards and products. Modtextern data transport technology is presented along with several applications to experiments under construction. Advanced techniques, emerging technologies and trends in the field of high-speed digital data transport are outlined in the perspective of future experiments.