Towards a homogeneous architecture for high-energy physics data acquisition systems

Data acquisition systems are mission-critical components in high-energy physics experiments. They are embedded in an environment of custom electronics, and are frequently characterized by high performance requirements. With the advent of powerful mainstream computing platforms and affordable high-speed networking equipment, system cost and time to completion can be significantly reduced. There still exists a considerable effort in custom software developments to build these systems and make them running efficiently. Therefore we strive for a software architecture flexible and robust enough to be usable in different system configurations and deployment cases. The software should cover the largest possible application domain and provide a practical balance between efficiency and flexibility. This article pinpoints the requirements imposed on such an on-line software infrastructure and sheds light on a viable design approach. As such, this article aims at laying out the foundations for a broader understanding of the importance for fostering a homogeneous architecture for high-energy physics data acquisition. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.