------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sponsor:Richard Fujimoto, fujimoto@cc.gatech.edu,
319 CoC Bldg.
Area: Systems /
Parallel & Distributed Simulation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Distributed simulation concerns
executing simulation programs over multiple processor computer systems, e.g.,
parallel computers or workstations connected by a network. Contemporary approaches to realizing
these systems utilize middleware software that is layered between the operating
system and application. The
purpose of this project is to familiarize you with the types of services
typically provided to support distributed simulation middleware, e.g., time
management services to ensure proper ordering of messages. The objective is to complete a
performance evaluation study of a particular middleware software package called
the Federated Simulations Development Kit (FDK). Your experiments should be
performed on two workstations in the laboratory. Some programming in C or C++ will be required. To complete this project:
1. Read the following overview papers:
· A survey of parallel discrete event simulation techniques: R. M. Fujimoto, “Parallel Discrete Event Simulation,” Communications of the ACM, Vol. 33, No. 10, pp. 30-53, October 1990.
·
An introduction to distributed simulation middleware
services used in the Department of Defense High Level Architecture: R. M.
Fujimoto, “Time Management in the High Level Architecture,” Simulation, Vol. 71, No. 6, pp. 388-400, December 1998.
2.
Install a copy of the FDK
package, by sending e-mail to fdk@cc.gatech.edu
to get a copy. See http://www.cc.gatech.edu/computing/pads/software.html
for more information on this package and how to install it.
3.
Your performance tests should
focus on the object management services (e.g., Update Attribute Values and
Reflect Attribute Values) and the time management services (e.g., Time Advance
Request and Time Advance Grant).
Define a set of at least three metrics to be used to evaluate the
performance of these services.
Develop one or more test program(s) that demonstrates use of FDK
distributed simulation services and collects measurements of the metrics you
have defined.
4.
Construct a sequence of
experiments to evaluate the performance of this middleware implementation under
different test situations.
A written project report is
required. Explain what exactly you
did for the project, what metrics you defined, and justify why you think these
are useful metrics. Describe the
experimental set up and your performance results. Describe what exactly your experiments did, in enough detail
so that someone reading your report could reproduce the experiments. Include source code of your test
programs as an appendix.
Explain the results you
obtained. Was the performance you
measured expected, or were there surprises? Provide your best explanation of the measurements you
observed.
Evaluation will be based on the
report turned in to the sponsor of the project by the due date. Of particular interest are the metrics
you define, your motivation for using them, the experimental design you
constructed to evaluate performance under different circumstances to the extent
that this is relevant, and your explanation of the results you obtained.
------------------------------------------------------------------------