Poster Abstract

P.21 Thomas Jürges (ASTRON)

(R)Evolution: Taking LOFAR's M&C into the 2020s

The Monitor & Control system (M&C) for ASTRON's LOFAR telescope is showing its age. Although it still performs its job and it is still reliable most of the time, it is not ready for the next step that will take LOFAR into the 2020s. The coming LOFAR upgrades through the "Digital Upgrade for Premier LOFAR Low-band Observing" project (DUPLLO) and the future extension "LOFAR for Space Weather" (LOFAR4SW) will present new challenges that should be addressed by a modern M&C system: a heterogenous hardware device landscape, uniform hardware access interfaces, high monitor data rates to assist preventive maintenance decision making and thereby improve general data quality.
Contrary to the old design of the LOFAR 1.0 M&C system, the new foundation for the LOFAR 2.0 M&C system will be a strict adherence to the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Sweetheart. Namely OPC UA interfaces for hardware and software devices, one interface serves one purpose, containerisation of M&C software for better portability where possible and more efficient testability, faster turnaround times and more robustness for software changes.