Recent enhancements to analyzed data acquisition and remote participation at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility

A long-term plan is being implemented to enhance the computational infrastructure of the DIII-D National Fusion Facility. One of the goals of this plan is more efficient utilization of DIII-D experimental run-time by decreasing the time to analyze, store and distribute analyzed data during tokamak operations. A multi-processor Linux cluster is reducing data analysis time and a Unix based MDSplus data management system is providing rapid access to analyzed data. A second goal of the long-term plan is to reduce the time required for more detailed physics analysis after experimental operations. This goal is being accomplished with the underlying philosophy of uniformity, both in the look and feel of our own GUI-based tools, in terms of access methods to analyzed datasets, and access to existing computer power via a load balanced UNIX cluster. Additionally, we have enhanced our remote meeting capability resulting in improved communication within the geographically diverse DIII-D Research Team.