The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite was launched in 1997 to sample tropical rainfall using the first active spaceborne precipitation radar. As part of this effort, the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET) was tasked with developing and implementing an operational system to process data from primary, or direct data (DD) sites. An overview of the JCET operational environment is given, focusing on the data flow procedures, the quality control algorithm used, and the expanding role of JCET into producing reference rainfall products.