Overview of MDSplus

MDSplus is a set of software tools for data acquisition and storage and a methodology for management of complex scientific data.

MDSplus allows all data from an experiment or simulation code to be stored into a single, self-descriptive, hierarchical structure. The system was designed to enable users to easily construct complete and coherent data sets.

The MDSplus programming interface contains only a few basic commands, simplifyng access even into complicated data structures. Using the client/server model, data at remote sites can be read or written without file transfers. MDSplus includes x-windows and java tools for viewing data or for modifying or viewing the underlying structures.

Developed jointly by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Center for Nuclear Resarch (Padua, Italy), and the Los Alamos National Lab, MDSplus is the most widely used system for data management in the magnetic fusion energy program. It is currently installed at over 30 sites spread over 4 continents.

Visit the MDSplus web site http://www.mdsplus.org for more information on the MDSplus system. The MDSplus download page can also be found at MDSplus.org.

Questions about MDSplus should be addressed to Tom Fredian of MIT/Alcator C-Mod at twf@PSFC.MIT.EDU.

Further Documentation on MDSplus

• MDSplus Concepts : link
• MDSplus Tree Structure and Syntax : link, link
• MDSplus Data Types : link, link
• Reading and Writing Data : link
• Reference for TDI (tree definition interface) Functions : link
• Reference for TCL (tree command language) Functions : link