LSDCAS consists of three main components: data acquisition systems, data archiving systems, and data analysis systems. Data acquisition is accomplished through the use of Linux software running on x86-based PC's interfaced to automated microscope systems. Data archiving and analysis is performed using a collection of custom analysis software programs.

Data acquisition occurs around the clock; each automated microscope system generates up to 50 gigabytes of compressed image data per week. To best handle this large data flow, a group of servers and storage arrays have been configured to provide for data processing. The microscope systems are housed in a dark room; data acquired by the microscope systems are temporarily stored during experiments in the microscope room using a small server. Following the completion of an experiment, these data are automatically transferred over the campus network to the data center, where our collaborators can access the image data using a web interface and perform simple analyses of the data. Data transfer and MPEG generation occur automatically at the end of each experiment. Data is backed up using a dedicated server intefaced to a 100 slot HP DLT tape library.