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D-Series DSX™ Device Controller

Common Hardware Platform

The Harris® Device Controller is a common hardware platform that supports all D-Series™ automation solutions, including the new D-Series DSX™ system. As the core hardware element of your automation system, the Device Controller manages all basic D-Series functionality from a high-performance server that hosts the real-time operating system, application software and device drivers.

The Device Controller, available in efficient 2RU and 4RU configurations, is built for demanding broadcast automation operations. The system was developed from the ground up with high reliability and maintainability, with specifications designed to handle future growth.

The Device Controller chassis houses serial interface cards, network cards for communication and device control and the timecode reference card, in a variety of configuration options. The platform is fully compliant with environmental standards, including the international WEEE and RoHS regulations. Serial- and IP-network connections are employed to provide high-speed communications with video servers and other broadcast devices. Additionally, the 2RU and 4RU chassis share a large number of components, reducing spare parts and inventory administration.

If you’re already using D-Series automation, upgrading to the Device Controller future-proofs your playout system and allows you to take full advantage of software developments supporting new broadcast models and technologies.

Features

Designed for high reliability and maintainability from the ground up, the Device Controller is an industrial hardware platform able to evolve as your needs change. Unlike commercial, off-the-shelf hardware, the Device Controller meets all of the exacting Harris standards for reliability and flexibility, increasing maintainability and reducing end-of-life issues. In addition, the platform features:

  • Increased performance and throughput
  • Scalable hardware for system extensibility, driving more devices and more channels
  • Greater communications bandwidth, featuring native dual Gigabit Ethernet network connectivity
  • Space-efficient packaging available in 2RU and 4RU configurations
  • Outstanding reliability, availability and serviceability, from shared parts to standard dual power supplies to readily accessible disk drives

Both the 2RU and 4RU chassis share a large number of components, allowing them to be deployed together to match your system needs.

Common parts include power supplies, CPU, memory, drive controllers, COM ports, parallel ports, PCI cards and network interfaces.

Product Details

2RU or 4RU: Which is right for you?
The Device Controller is available in 2RU and 4RU configurations, which can be used to tailor the deployed hardware to the size of your operation, allow for growth or add high-reliability clients to your operation.

The 2RU version can be equipped with 32 serial ports, expandable to more than 150 with the use of external SMS6800+T multiplexers.

The 2RU chassis can also be incorporated into the environment as a Flexicart controller and SDDS (Secondary Data Delivery System) server, as well as for other peripheral tasks. This provides a high-availability platform for mission-critical tasks and delivers maximum uptime with the ability to share spare parts across all of your deployed Device Controllers.

The 4RU version can accommodate up to 96 direct serial ports, expandable to more than 200 using external SMS6800+T multiplexers. For smaller systems looking to scale up, the chassis can be supplied with a reduced number of installed interfaces, providing the capacity to manage future growth.

Larger systems using the specialized A8 version of D-Series automation can span multiple Device Controllers, with a combination of 2RU and 4RU chassis, to precisely tailor the hardware to various aspects of your operation, including expanded serial device support, expanded list support, system segmentation and backup functionality.

Recommended Implementation Strategy
The Device Controller hosts the core automation software and device control cards necessary for D-Series to manage device control. The system is supported in D-Series Version 4, D-Series DSX and later releases. For customers currently running D-Series Version 3 or below, an upgrade to Version 4 or D-Series DSX is required prior to implementing the Device Controller.

New to D-Series DSX automation? The Device Controller provides a future-proof, reliable, failsafe platform to meet all of your ingest and automation requirements. Please contact the Harris sales and technical services team to review the benefits of the Harris Device Controller and to plan for the upgrade.

Specifications

Specifications and designs are subject to change without notice.

4RU Chassis2RU Chassis
14-card passive backplane, 13 PCI + 1 PICMG v1.3
Hot-swappable fans with rotation sensors and connectors
Front and rear USB ports
External alarm connector
Removable hard drive caddy and drive* — accessible via front panel
250 GB, 7,200 RPM SATA 3.0 Gb/s, hot-swappable hard drive*
DVD reader/writer ± R/W, 16X, dual layer
Dual redundant hot-swappable 300-watt power supplies
Universal input voltage, AC plug on each module, no common components
Fault detection LEDs		6-card passive backplane, 5 PCI + 1 PICMG v1.3
Replaceable fans with rotation sensors and connectors
Front and rear USB ports
External alarm connector
Removable hard drive caddy and drive — accessible via front panel
80 GB, 7,200 RPM SATA 3.0 Gb/s, hot-swappable hard drive*
DVD reader/writer ± R/W, 16X, dual layer*
Dual redundant hot-swappable 300-watt power supplies*
Universal input voltage, AC plug on each module, no common components
Fault detection LEDs

Processor, Memory and InterfacesProcessor, Memory and Interfaces
Intel® Pentium 4™, 3.0 GHz, LGA 775 processor (upgradeable)* 
4 GB, 184-pin, DDR 400 SDRAM ECC system memory*
Two DDR II DIMM sockets — upgradeable to 4 MB
VGA output, connector on rear panel
Two Gigabit Ethernet Network Interface Connections with connectors on rear panel
Serial and parallel ports
PS/2 port for keyboard and mouse on rear panel 
Intel® Pentium 4™, 3.0 GHz, LGA 775 processor (upgradeable)* 
4 GB, 184-pin, DDR 400 SDRAM ECC system memory*
Two DDR II DIMM sockets — upgradeable to 4 MB
VGA output, connector on rear panel*
Two Gigabit Ethernet Network Interface Connections with connectors on rear panel*
Serial and parallel ports (cloning not supported)
PS/2 port for keyboard and mouse on rear panel*
* option is a shared component between the 4RU and 2RU chassis

Configuration Options
The Device Controller is designed to support up to 128 ports, with 64-port connectivity currently available. The 4RU chassis allows a full complement of cards to be installed (eight serial, four GPI, and one timecode/sync), while the 2RU is limited to three serial cards, one GPI card and one timecode/sync card. The actual number of devices that can be supported depends on system limits for different types of devices and the available slots in the chassis. Refer to Harris technical support for guidance.
Sales Contacts
  • North America +1 800 231 9673
  • Caribbean and Latin America +1 786 437 1960
  • Europe and Africa +44 118 964 8200
  • Middle East and South Asia  +971 4 433 8250
  • Asia, Pacific Rim +852 2776 0628