Computers Computing facilities at HIA Computing facilities at HIA are designed with specific types of needs in mind and evolve with new requirements. HIA facilities use many servers for specific purposes, including both UNIX and PC boxes. The 1.2 and Plaskett 1.8-m telescopes in Victoria are networked with the main computing facilities in the office block. The JCMT, CFHT and Gemini telescopes in Hawaii are essentially self-contained, however, but also have Internet access.
Telescopes have separate data LANs and control LANs.
HIA administration is currently using both Microsoft and Novell servers. Due to large images produced by new, large CCD detectors, optical astronomers face an ongoing problem with finding computers fast enough and with enough disk space to process the data. Data must be refined and analyzed to get the maximum amount of information out of it. During processing, variations in the sensitivity of the CCD chip's surface would be compensated for, along with other factors such as electronic noise due to the warmth of the chip. This improves the accuracy of the final data and improves contrast, for example.