Large-Scale Distributed / Parallel System Performance Simulation (LDPsim)

OTI proposes research leading to the construction of a prototype Large Parallel/Distributed system simulation (LDPsim) tool. This tool will provide an automated simulation generation and analysis environment supporting performance analysis and design for large complex parallel and distributed systems. A powerful set of analysis tools, integrated into a flexible and extensible object oriented framework, provides rapid performance analysis of alternative hardware and software configurations while maintaining a high degree of accuracy in performance predictions. The framework is based upon object technology, with all simulation scenarios, simulation models, simulation experiment data sets, and simulation analysis results constructed, manipulated, and stored as objects. Rapid construction of complete simulation scenarios is facilitated by the instantiation of new model instances from a predefined library of model definitions. Integration of new component models, possibly utilizing different underlying modeling techniques and levels of fidelity, is facilitated by encapsulating the implementation details of each model as an object must conform to a standard discrete event message passing paradigm. The implementation of a given object's operations is unconstrained, providing the analyst the maximum possible degree of freedom in selection of simulation techniques for each model.