  VERITAS employs a multi-stage data acquisition chain that extends from the
VME readout of custom 500 MS/s flash ADC electronics to the construction of
telescope events and ultimately the compilation of information from each
telescope into array level data. These systems provide access to the
programming of the channel level triggers and the FADCs. They also ensure the
proper synchronization of event information across the array and provide the
first level of data quality monitoring. Additionally, the data acquisition
includes features to handle the readout of special trigger types and to monitor
channel scaler rates. In this paper we describe the software and hardware
components of the systems and the protocols used to communicate between the
VME, telescope, and array levels. We also discuss the performance of the data
acquisition for array operations.
