CMS DAQ event builder based on gigabit ethernet

The CMS data acquisition system is designed to build and filter events originating from 476 detector data sources at a maximum trigger rate of 100 kHz. Different architectures and switch technologies have been evaluated to accomplish this purpose. Events will be built in two stages: the first stage will be a set of event builders called front-end driver (FED) builders. These will be based on Myrinet technology and will pre-assemble groups of about eight data sources. The second stage will be a set of event builders called readout builders. These will perform the building of full events. A single readout builder will build events from about 60 sources of 16 kB fragments at a rate of 12.5 kHz. In this paper, we present the design of a readout builder based on TCP/IP over Gigabit Ethernet and the refinement that was required to achieve the design throughput. This refinement includes architecture of the readout builder, the setup of TCP/IP, and hardware selection. Index Terms--CMS DAQ, Ethernet, Event Builder.