Terminology and Concepts
- Updated2025-12-19
- 2 minute(s) read
Learn about RF Playback Software fundamentals.
Endpoints
Endpoints are the source and destination of a data stream. Data originates from the source endpoint and streams to the destination endpoint. For example, when recording, the source endpoint is a VST and the destination endpoint is a data storage server. When playing back, the source endpoint is a data storage server and the destination endpoint is a VST.
Fetching
Fetching is the act of retrieving a snapshot of data as it is being streamed.
gRPC
gRPC is an open-source Remote Procedure Call (RPC) framework that supports a number of programming languages, such as Python, C#, and so on.
Instantaneous Bandwidth (IBW)
IBW is the effective real-time bandwidth of the signal path for your configuration.
Local Oscillator (LO)
The local oscillator (LO) provides the signals required for mixing in the upconversion process.
Remote Recording
The RF Playback Software system supports remote data storage.
Remote recording stores unscaled IQ data to binary files in interleaved IQ format on one or more external data storage servers. Remote storage is extendable for systems with up to 16 instruments, each recording at 1 GHz IBW.
RPS.exe Connection
In the context of RPS.exe, a connection defines the path by which data travels between an acquisition or generation device and a storage device.
Session/Software Session
A session contains all the configuration and state data for a series of interactions with RPS.exe. Sessions are referred to using user-defined string handles (aliases) when utilizing the RPS API directly.
User-Defined Aliases and Names
An alias is a resource identifier that is unique within that resource. Aliases are case-insensitive strings consisting of 1 to 255 characters that may consist of the following characters:
- Alphanumeric characters
- Dashes (-)
- Underscores (_)
- Spaces ( )
Aliases can not start or end with a space ( ).
Related Information
- gRPC Open Source Framework Website
- LabVIEW gRPC Reference
- Cabling for High-Speed Data Movement
You must cable the hardware of each RPS system component together to enable high-speed data transfer between the VSTs in the instrument controller and the NICs of the data storage server.
- STsc Application Configuration Files
STsc.exe requires you to create or update two configuration files—the STsc core configuration file and the STsc datapaths configuration file—to define user-configurable settings and define how data is routed between the HSS and QSFP ports of the stream translation modules installed.