Liu Yan-Lin, Shih Cheng-Ting, Chang Yuan-Jen, Chang Shu-Jun, Wu Jay
Institute of Nuclear Engineering and Science, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan.
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan.
Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:657417. doi: 10.1155/2014/657417. Epub 2014 Feb 20.
The rapid development of picture archiving and communication systems (PACSs) thoroughly changes the way of medical informatics communication and management. However, as the scale of a hospital's operations increases, the large amount of digital images transferred in the network inevitably decreases system efficiency. In this study, a server cluster consisting of two server nodes was constructed. Network load balancing (NLB), distributed file system (DFS), and structured query language (SQL) duplication services were installed. A total of 1 to 16 workstations were used to transfer computed radiography (CR), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance (MR) images simultaneously to simulate the clinical situation. The average transmission rate (ATR) was analyzed between the cluster and noncluster servers. In the download scenario, the ATRs of CR, CT, and MR images increased by 44.3%, 56.6%, and 100.9%, respectively, when using the server cluster, whereas the ATRs increased by 23.0%, 39.2%, and 24.9% in the upload scenario. In the mix scenario, the transmission performance increased by 45.2% when using eight computer units. The fault tolerance mechanisms of the server cluster maintained the system availability and image integrity. The server cluster can improve the transmission efficiency while maintaining high reliability and continuous availability in a healthcare environment.
图像存档与通信系统(PACS)的快速发展彻底改变了医学信息学的通信和管理方式。然而,随着医院运营规模的扩大,网络中传输的大量数字图像不可避免地降低了系统效率。在本研究中,构建了一个由两个服务器节点组成的服务器集群。安装了网络负载平衡(NLB)、分布式文件系统(DFS)和结构化查询语言(SQL)复制服务。总共使用1至16个工作站同时传输计算机X线摄影(CR)、计算机断层扫描(CT)和磁共振(MR)图像以模拟临床情况。分析了集群服务器与非集群服务器之间的平均传输速率(ATR)。在下载场景中,使用服务器集群时,CR、CT和MR图像的ATR分别提高了44.3%、56.6%和100.9%,而在上载场景中,ATR分别提高了23.0%、39.2%和24.9%。在混合场景中,使用八个计算单元时传输性能提高了45.2%。服务器集群的容错机制保持了系统可用性和图像完整性。服务器集群可以提高传输效率,同时在医疗环境中保持高可靠性和持续可用性。