May 13, 1998
New EARTHWORM Development Partner...
Refraction Technology, Inc. (REF TEK) of Dallas, TX has signed on as the latest EARTHWORM development partner. REF TEK intends to develop interface software that will allow REF TEK products to source data to EARTHWORM via industry standard protocols and interfaces.
Specifically, REF TEK has contracted with David Chavez of Engineering Services & Software to write a REF TEK data source module for EARTHWORM that will link the REF TEK Protocol (RTP). RTP is designed to provide an error-free, ordered transport over UDP/IP/PPP data links. This enables a computer running EARTHWORM to communicate with a REF TEK DAS via asynchronous serial ports on the local computer or via Ethernet through asynchronous serial ports on a Cisco 25xx router. This data source module will integrate any Ref Tek 72 series DAS equipped with an RT422 Error Correcting Communications (ECC) Card with the EARTHWORM system. The RT422 ECC Card communicates with the central computer using RTP encapsulated within UDP/IP/PPP over a asynchronous serial interface.
The initial project is expected to be complete by the end of June, 1998 with the delivery of 20 systems to India. Following the initial project, REF TEK intends to port the DAS serial code to other products including its 112 Modem Interface. This will allow network operators who are currently using REF TEK Radio Modem telemetry to source data to EARTHWORM.
For more information contact Alex Bittenbinder at alex@gldage.cr.usgs.gov, or Paul Passmore at p.passmore@reftek.com.
On the public FTP site on ghtftp, there is now the directory. ftp://ghtftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/OUTGOING/earthworm. This will contain the source and makefiles for modules which are not included in the last release, but which have been tested and are available for use.