The software architecture of a distributed problem-solving environment

This paper describes the functionality and software architecture of a generic problem-solving environment (PSE) for collaborative computational science and engineering. A PSE is designed to provide transparent access to heterogeneous distributed computing resources, and is intended to enhance research productivity by making it easier to construct, run, and analyze the results of computer simulations. Although implementation details are not discussed in depth, the role of software technologies such as CORBA, Java, and XML is outlined. An XML-based component model is presented. The main features of a Visual Component Composition Environment for software development, and an Intelligent Resource Management System for scheduling components, are described. Some prototype implementations of PSE applications are also presented. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.