Constructing object-oriented distributed simulations

Abstract

An object-oriented method is presented for the design and implementation of distributed discrete-event simulations. Two differing synchronization mechanisms, conservative and optimistic, are identified. These differing mechanisms give rise to significant differences in the resulting simulation models. Which kind of synchronization allows more flexibility in modeling and implementing application program is discussed. The examples presented illustrate that object-oriented distributed simulations can be developed independently of the synchronization strategy. The examples also illustrate the potential of the time-warp synchronization strategy and are supported with empirical evidence derived from experiments performed on a testbed constructed for this purpose. The attractive part of decomposing simulations into asynchronous objects is that it minimizes the simulation runtime. The results presented show the improvement in the runtime using multiprocessor machines.