A general purpose data processing system simulator for satellite ground stations

Abstract

The Data Processing System Simulation for Satellite Ground Stations (DPSSGS) is designed to model a general class of Automatic Data Processing Equipment (ADPE) functions for a satellite ground control station. A typical ground station might contain ten computers with associated disks and memories and must process large quantities of data in real-time. The selection of the hardware, the design of the computer system architecture and software is a prodigious task and presents a high risk in terms of the performance and cost of the final system if adequate design data is not available early in the design process. The DPSSGS is a generic model of multi-tasking computers and computer networks and provides a design tool for analyzing the many alternate computer configurations proposed in the design of a ground station. Although the impetus for the development of the DPSSGS came from the designers of ground stations, application to a wider range of data processing systems is possible. The DPSSGS was applied extensively to the design of a recent ground station.