PUCK helps to automate the configuration process by physically storing information about the instrument with the instrument itself. The information may include metadata descriptions, driver software, GUI software, or any other information deemed relevant by the observing system. When a "pucked" instrument is plugged into a computing platform, the platform can retrieve the information from the puck using a simple protocol, and deal with the information appropriately. For example, the system may install and execute drivers that have been retrieved from the puck. We refer to this automated configuration process as plug-and-work.

MBARI puck protocol

When a plug-and-work instrument is plugged into a host computer, the host can issue standard puck protocol commands that either store or retrieve information from the puck. The storage commands are used when "loading" a puck with instrument information; the retrieval commands are issued when the pucked instrument is ready for use. The puck protocol is designed to be fairly simple. The puck protocol defines commands to store and retrieve information, but does not define the information content. Rather, each observing system defines the content of information stored in the puck, and implements software that interprets information when it is retrieved to a host. Thus the puck provides a very flexible plug-and-work soution that can be applied to many different observing systems.

PUCK Reference Design Kit