The EDGAR Cluster

The next generation of high-throughput, flexible compute infrastructure supporting both real-time and offline data analysis.

The latest upgrade to the Effelsberg 100-m radio telescope comes in the form of a suite of new wideband digital receivers requiring advanced real-time data processing. The EDGAR (Effelsberg Data Gathering and Acquisition Resource) Cluster is designed to provide the next generation of high-throughput, flexible compute infrastructure supporting both real-time and offline data analysis.

Composed of a mixture of GPU and FPGA processing nodes with a state-of-the-art 800-GbE switch network for astronomical data, the EDGAR cluster will provide two core capabilities:

1. EDGAR provides the infrastructure for the deployment of an Effelsberg Direct Digitization (EDD) Backend instance that can be used for real-time processing of all EDD receivers, including the upcoming CryoPAF receiver. 
2. Resources not in use by the EDD Backend are made available to MPIfR researchers in the form of a high throughput compute cluster using HTCondor.

The Groups involved

The Backend Development Group

The Systems Operation Group