Sim-PETEK: A Parallel Simulation Execution Framework for Grid Environments

In this paper we introduce a framework for parallel and distributed execution of simulations (Sim-PETEK), a middleware for minimizing the total run time of batch runs and Monte Carlo trials. Sim-PETEK proposes a generic solution for applications in the simulation domain, which improves on our previous work done to parallelize simulation runs in a single node, multiple central processing unit (CPU) setting. Our new framework aims at managing a heterogeneous computational resource pool consisting of multiple CPU nodes distributed on a potentially geographically dispersed network, through a service-oriented middleware layer that is compliant to Web Services Resource Framework standard, thereby providing a scalable and flexible architecture for simulation software developers. What differentiates Sim-PETEK from a general-purpose, Grid-based job-distribution middleware is a number of simulation-specific aspects regarding the specification, distribution, monitoring, result collection and aggregation of simulation runs. These aspects are prevalent in the structure of the messages and in the protocol of interaction both among the constituent services of the framework and within the interfaces exposed to the external clients.