McObject’s eXtremeDB Helps Prevent Electrical Blackouts in China
August 15, 2005 — McObject’s eXtremeDB™ in-memory embedded database has been selected to provide real-time data management in a device to enhance reliability in the electrical grid serving millions of homes and businesses in eastern China. The device using eXtremeDB – a Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) developed by China’s Academy of Electrical Power, a state research group – is part of a network supervision system designed to prevent the kind of widespread, cascading power failure that blacked out much of the northeastern United States and parts of eastern Canada in August 2003.
Within the Chinese system, the PMU resides in power substations and takes frequent real-time “snapshots” of power conditions, particularly relating to voltage stability. This data is stored locally within eXtremeDB, and passed via dedicated communication channels to a central monitoring unit, where the resulting network overview enables managers to provide safe, reliable energy transfers. Within the system, eXtremeDB collects and makes available real-time data at speeds averaging 100 messages per second.
“In extensive power networks, system failure can develop too quickly for old security applications to detect and prevent. Because the PMU-based technology is much faster, it alerts operators to dangerous grid conditions in sufficient time to correct problems. This significantly enhances reliability in one of China’s largest power networks,” said Dr. Xu Yong, senior scientist at the Academy of Electrical Power.
“Data management is a major PMU function. Our development group determined that incorporating a proven database would both speed up development and result in a more stable end product,” Dr. Xu said. “We compared McObject’s eXtremeDB to several commercial and internally developed databases, and eXtremeDB offered the best combination of performance, reliability and ease of development.”
eXtremeDB runs on Red Hat Linux within the Phasor Measurement Unit.
“I am very pleased that eXtremeDB has been adopted by one of the major development centers of electrical power in China, and can contribute to China’s power industry. With the Academy of Electrical Power’s PMU device and other recent design wins, it’s clear that developers in this market are realizing that integrating McObject’s advanced real-time data management technology results in a better product and more efficient utilization of development resources,” Jersey Wang, president of Beijing Leadingtek Realtime Technology, McObject’s distributor, said.
About eXtremeDB
With eXtremeDB, McObject offers a highly portable database management system that meets the unique performance requirements and resource constraints of intelligent, connected devices. eXtremeDB provides critical data management features—including transactions, concurrent access, High Availability and a high-level data definition language—while maintaining a tiny code footprint (as little as 50K). As an in-memory database system (IMDS), eXtremeDB delivers the real-time responsiveness demanded by consumer electronics, network infrastructure gear, industrial control systems and other embedded systems.
eXtremeDB also provides sophisticated development capabilities, such as support for complex data and varied query methods, a powerful debugging environment including a self-diagnostic API that catches a wide range of common programming errors before they slip into runtime code, and an optional SQL programming interface.
About Beijing Leadingtek Realtime Technology
Beijing Leadingtek Realtime Technology is a major service provider and reseller of embedded development technology based in Beijing, China. The company distributes software including McObject’s eXtremeDB in-memory database and QNX Software System Ltd.’s real-time operating systems to customers among China’s largest industrial, research and consulting organizations, in fields ranging from telecommunications and automation control to transportation, aerospace and security. For more information, see www.leadingtek.com.cn
About McObject
Founded by embedded database and real-time systems experts, McObject offers proven data management technology that makes intelligent devices smarter, more reliable and more cost-effective to develop and maintain. McObject counts among its customers industry leaders such as DaimlerChrysler, EADS, Tyco Thermal Controls, F5 Networks, Genesis Microchip, Motorola and Boeing. McObject, based in Issaquah, WA, is committed to providing innovative technology and first rate services to customers and partners. The company can be reached at +1-425-888-8505, or visit www.mcobject.com.
McObject and eXtremeDB are registered trademarks of McObject LLC. All other company or product names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.