TTDAQ: A Continuous Flow, Timing and Trigger DAQ System

The nuclear physics data acquisition systems are challenged by the increasing demand for flexibility, accuracy, volume of data and processing speed, massive scalability, upgradability, and lower acquisition operations and maintenance costs. General precision timing synchronization for all Detector and DAQ components provides novel and original solutions to these problems especially if it can be achieved solely through commercial networks. Our General Timing Synchronization (GTS) technology runs over commercial Ethernet links and performs sub-nS accuracy under maximum traffic loads, securely, with unlimited scalability, and simplified HW. This features makes it ideal for both acquisition systems and Internet of Time that brings ubiquitous accurate time to everything online. This proposal will demonstrate GTS protocol data planes running between two Ethernet ports. GTS performs stealthily and non-intrusively by timestamping user data. Its algorithms may run on any proxies or in the cloud. The information collected from packet flow analysis can be used by the control plane of the Software Defined Networks (SDN) to dynamically distribute the network load, improve routing and security and detect intrusion. Conceptually, GTS operation is entirely different from traditional timing protocols like IEEE 1588, NTP, or SyncE. GTS’ flexibility and capabilities could be the potential foundation of a new functional Internet of Time (IoT) enabling new functionality and faster operation in a variety of areas including nuclear physics detectors, wireless telecom and global positioning.