Support heterogeneity and distribution in the numerical propulsion system simulation project

Abstract

The numerical propulsion system simulation (NPSS) project has been initiated by NASA to expand the use of computer simulation in the development of new aircraft engines. A major goal is to study interactions between engine components using multiple computational codes, each modeling a separate component and potentially executing on a different machine in a network. Thus, a simulation run is a heterogeneous distributed program controlled by a simulation executive. This paper describes a prototype executive composed of the AVS visualization system and the Schooner heterogeneous remote procedure call (RPC) facility. In addition, the match between Schooner's capabilities and the needs of NPSS is evaluated based on the authors experience with a collection of test codes. This discussion not only documents the evolution of Schooner, but also serves to highlight the practical problems that can be encountered when dealing with heterogeneity and distribution in such applications.<>