`BUBBANET´-a high performance network for the SSC accelerator control system

The Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory imposes particularly strict requirements on data networks used in the control and monitoring of accelerator equipment. These requirements are a consequence of the large size (approximately 100 km of accelerators), large number of control points (544,000), and the complexity of the equipment. An overview of the technical systems to be monitored and the projected data rates is presented, emphasizing systems with stringent data communications requirements. We can characterize these requirements in terms of expected network traffic, network throughput or average latency. Analysis of these traffic patterns as applied to different network architectures will aid in identifying the essential components of the final network architecture which meets or exceeds these requirements. We will report on the design decisions and initial results of performance tests on the controls communication network