2. General Description

The Status Server will serve as an open repository of status and state information easily available to any client within the CFHT network. Clients will be able to view, update, and subscribe to data elements within the Status Server. In some respects, the Status Server could be thought of as a shared memory pool for multiple clients.

Some examples of where the system could be used include:

• A central staging area for the building of FITS files replacing the current template file. This would allow FITS files to be built in a more parallel fashion without the need for client-side synchronization.
• A possible replacement for the state information within passive text file databases ("par" files). Current retrieval or update of information within "par" files requires a relatively inefficient file scan from NFS mounted files.
• A source for information used in GUI status displays.
• A source for the latest plant monitoring information.

This document describes the requirements identified by the user community for the Status Server. Beyond the critical functional requirements of what the system must provide, the most important requirements are reliability, performance, and flexibility. As more and more clients start to use the Status Server, it is absolutely critical that the system does not fail. In addition, as more clients are added, the number of transactions will be increased. It is important, that the system be optimized to easily handle a large number of transactions. Finally, the system must be flexible, since it must grow and evolve to store increasing amounts of information.