1. EXPReS, NEXPReS, UniBoard
Arpad Szomoru, JIVE

2. EXPReS: done! All deliverables delivered
Final period report written and submitted
Survived final period review:
November 18, Brussels
Charles Yun, Francisco Colomer, Ralph Spencer, Yvonnne Kool, Arpad Szomoru
Same reviewers as last time: Ken Kellerman, Fulvio Casali, Victor Castelo
Financial data not complete yet, project is mostly underspent
though overspent in other places...
Very positive responses
Words like “impressive” were used
Project performed beyond expectations
which, we were assured, does not happen often
Acceptance of Nature paper the day before did help...
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3. Last period Quite a few e-proposals (with many accepted)
Real global ToO K-band observations: Cambridge, Jodrell Bank (MarkII), Effelsberg, Medicina, Onsala, Metsahovi, Yebes, Shanghai, Kashima, Mopra, Hobart
Plenty of problems, but good results in the end
Extensive use Merlincast, inclusion of multiple Merlin telescopes through multicast
Although, what about the future....
First e-fringes to Badary at 32 Mbps
Remarkably unremarkable e-sessions, operator-run operations
Mixed 1024/896 recordings, channel dropping pays off
First e-VLBI Nature paper...
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4. In summary....
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5. Onwards, NEXPReS Novel EXplorations Pushing Robust e-VLBI Services
Deadline November 24
Timing far from ideal....
15 partners (vs 19 in EXPReS)
EC calls for more focused proposals
Should not aim at same (connectivity) issues
Aiming below 4M€, User Communities call
4 Networking Activities (same as EXPReS)
2 Service Activities
2 Joint Research Activities
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6. What they worry about in Brussels...
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7. Follow-up of EXPReS Basic Concepts
Cloud: correlation, transport, storage
Flexible buffering at stations and correlator
all VLBI to have a real-time component
e-VLBI without compromising on sensitivity or resolution
Use of dynamical connectivity
beyond 1 Gbps, to 4 and 10 Gbps
Research activities focus on
distributed correlation on a real-time Grid
Grid not ready for stream processing
Distributed fast storage
also relevant for user data distribution
Strong support from SURFnet, partnering through GigaPort3
Link to SKA (ESFRI) list is important
Several LOFAR-Apertif related activities, “archives of the future”
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8. Next generation EVN correlator
Requirements set by EVN2015 science case
Multiple data streams of Gbps
32 stations, or at least more than 16
Multiple bit representation
High bandwidth at higher frequency
Calls for a hundredfold more powerful correlator
Comparable to EVLA correlator
Similar size as some (other) SKA pathfinders
FPGA vs software
Software correlators could be intermediate solution
Distributed correlation attractive in Europe
WSRT APERTIF system; similar needs
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9. UniBoard JRA in RadioNet FP7, 1 M€, led by JIVE Participants:
JIVE, ASTRON, INAF, BORD, UORL, UMAN, KASI, and (since very recently) ShAO
High performance generic FPGA-based computing platform, different applications:
Correlator, beam former, pulsar machine, digital backend
Division of tasks:
Hardware development, beam former (ASTRON, KASI+BORD)
Correlator, interface software (JIVE, ASTRON, ShAO)
Pulsar binning machine, RFI mitigation (UMAN, UORL)
Digital receiver (INAF, BORD)
Matching funds through:
ExBox, JIVE/Astron project funded by NWO (400 k€)
JIVE-ShAO collaboration, funded by NWO (720 k€)

10. UniBoard, hardware Hardware development well under way
Design **% completed
Manufacturer selected (Neways, experience w. LOFAR)
First board March 2010)
First production run half 2010

11. UniBoard, layout
H x D x T = 9HE x 340 x 2.4mm
12 layers PCB

12. UniBoard, EVN correlator functionality
It’s “only software”....
But vast amounts of code needed
And lots of developers
Correlator firmware development:
Jonathan Hargreaves, digital engineer at JIVE, full-time
Eric Kooistra, Raj Thilak, digital engineers at Astron, part-time (Apertif correlator + beam former)
Ying Xiang, visiting researcher at JIVE, one year (at least)
Ronald de Wild, 3-4 days per week at JIVE
PhD level engineering student from ShAO
Control code development
Des Small, Harro Verkouter
Design of control system, high and low level control code, embedded processor code
Progress
Test firmware being produced
Design documents at end of month 12 (hardware, correlator, digital receiver)
Bare-bone correlator end of 2010
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