PRESTO: a computational and storage unit for CHIMERA DAQ

We have designed, built, and tested an on-line pre-analysis and data-storage unit for the data acquisition system of the 4/spl pi/-detector CHIMERA. The unit uses special algorithms to perform particle identification and automatic peak detection. It tags in charge each event and stores the results on external unit, together with the raw data. It consists of two commercial 2 GHz workstations connected together through 1 Gb/s Ethernet boards and to the data acquisition system through a 100 Mb/s Ethernet.