Leidos chooses rugged computer server from Crystal Group for front-line SIGINT system
WASHINGTON, 4 Oct. 2016. Systems integrators at Leidos in Reston, Va., needed rugged computer servers for a tactical real-time signals intelligence (SIGINT) system. They found their solution from Crystal Group Inc. in Hiawatha, Iowa.
Leidos officials say they are choosing the Crystal RS378 3U rugged server for the Leidos eXpeditionary RT (XRT) system that is designed to distil real-time context-sensitive situational awareness information from vast quantifies and disparate sources of data.
"We were looking for a ruggedized platform that is scalable to our application and to industry standards," says Matthew Smith, senior program manager at the Leidos office in Columbia, Md. "Crystal was very open to systems engineering based on our needs."
Leidos's Smith made his comments Monday at the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) conference and trade show in Washington. the company's XRT system is a high-performance computing platform that conducts data warehousing, performs data enrichment, and executes advanced analytics, all in a small-form-factor system available to warfighters operating in-theater.
XRT offers several layers of access control to ensure that only authorized users contact the system, Leidos officials say. Built-in audit functions ensure system integrity and compliance with oversight and control requirements.
The system and software baseline includes database security and labeling, network security, operating system security, and data security certified to PL3+ Appendix E, Leidos officials say. XRT system fits in a 7U enclosure that measures 12.25 inches tall and 33.63 inches deep.
XRT integrates the RedHat Enterprise Linux operating system, uses Windows 2008 Server on VMware Workstation 10, Oracle 11G, ElasticSearch, and MySQL. It integrates a GPS receiver and antenna, and meets the shock, temperature, and humidity ruggedization standards of MIL-STD-810F and 901D.
The Crystal Group RS378 rugged server integrates Intel Xeon Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, or Haswell microprocessors, has as much as 512 gigabytes of memory, and offers 16 removable 2.5-inch solid-state drives, or eight 3.5-inch drives.
The Crystal rugged server measures 5.25 inches high, 17.5 inches wide, and 20 inches deep, weighs 22 to 36 pounds, and operates in temperatures -55 to 85 degrees Celsius. It meets MIL-STD-810 and MIL-S-901 for resistance to the effects of shock, vibration, humidity, temperature, and altitude.
For more information contact Crystal Group online at www.crystalrugged.com, or Leidos at www.leidos.com.
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John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
