N700 - Remote Processing Unit

Owned by Guy Avery
Last updated: May 30, 2018
4 min read

new R100 RPU

The Navtech Radar Remote Processing Unit (RPU) is a custom built industrial PC which has been designed specifically to run the Navtech Radar Witness software. The design of the unit takes into account the demands of the software and the compact form factor (chassis) has been selected to ensure the unit can fit into shallow communication cabinets as well as full size server racks. The unit also comes with a good level of redundancy as standard, including a hardware RAID system, typically configured to use an array based on RAID level 5 protection, and dual power supplies which are designed to operate in tandem, but can support a failure until the faulty supply us replaced.

The only model now available is the N-700. This is the higher specification unit which includes a more powerful processor, additional RAM and much better redundancy. The lower specification N-500 model has been discontinued because it lacked the required level of resilience and offered less value for money on larger sites.

RPU Installation

The RPUs are based on a short, 19" chassis. The case is only 300mm deep and therefore can fit in a wide range of cabinets that include 19" mounting brackets. The RPU comes with front brackets, which when installed allow the unit to be securely mounted in a rack or cabinet. Due to the size of the RPU, this front mounting is all that is required, a full length supporting rail is not required. However the RPU is shipped with a mounting rail which can be used if preferred. The rail can be adjusted for various sized cabinets.

The chassis supports mounting with either the front face or the rear of the unit being at the front of the cabinet. The RPU duplicates all the status lights and the power switch on the front and back of the case. This enables the installer to choose whether they would prefer the network sockets and expansion card slots to be facing the rear or the front of the cabinet. The mounting brackets need to be attached to either the front or back of the case, depending on the selected orientation.



NOTE: The N700 is now end of life and can no longer be ordered. All existing support contracts will be maintained and can also be extended if required. For new orders or upgrades please see the new R100 RPU.





On this page:

RPU N700 Datasheet



RPU Specification

Please refer to the N-700 datasheet for the current RPU specification.

RPU Setup and Configuration

All RPUs are pre-configured before being dispatched to customers. This means the OS is configured, up-to-date and optimised for use with the Navtech Radar software. The RPU will have the core pre-requisites for running Witness, however it may be missing certain SDKs or libraries which unique for specific projects. These would normally be installed during the commissioning and installation phase of the project.

The Witness software is not pre-installed because requirements vary from customer to customer and project to project. This is done as part of the commissioning process.

The current RPUs ship with Windows 7 x64 Professional, however this will soon be changing to Windows 10 Professional x64. Windows 10 is only supported in the later versions of Witness so please check the requirements matrix to ensure compatibility with the OS.

System Configuration Options

The RPUs default hardware configuration supports each of the software modules including the Mongo database server. If the site requires a large number of radars or the system is expected to process many targets it may be necessary to distribute the software modules across multiple RPUs. Some example system configurations can be on the System Design page.

The three main configurations are:

Configuration Option

Description

Radars Supported

Notes

Configuration Option

Description

Radars Supported

Notes

Single RPU + Client PC

All the software modules, including the database are installed on the same RPU. The Sentinel client UI is installed on the PC.

1 - 4 Radars

This is not recommended for production systems using more than 2 radars. This configuration is suitable for proof of concepts (POC) and demonstrations. It can be used for small sites where the target count is expected to be low.

Tracking RPU, Primary RPU + Client PC

The core services are installed on the Primary RPU (Piccadilly, Canary, Cyclops, Vault and Mongo Db). The trackers are installed on the Tracking RPU(s). The Sentinel client UI is installed on the PC.

4-8 Radars per Tracking RPU. Total is limited by database performance no more than 8x radar

This solution separates the trackers onto a separate server. Additional Tracking RPUs can be added to handle more radar as required. However consideration should be given to the database server. The total number of radars and the corresponding track load may require the database server to have its own dedicated server - see option 3 below.

Tracking RPU, Primary RPU, Database RPU + Client PC

The core services are installed on the Primary RPU (Piccadilly, Canary, Cyclops), however the database server is installed on a dedicated RPU. The trackers are installed on the Tracking RPU(s). The Sentinel client UI is installed on the PC.

4-10 Radars per Tracking RPU. Total is limited by the maximum capability of the Primary and Database RPUs

This solution offers the best capacity for large systems with many radar. A typical ClearWay deployment could support 30x radar using 3x Tracking RPUs, a Primary RPU and a Database RPU.