Isight Workflow: Going Beyond the Desktop

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Isight Workflow: Going Beyond the Desktop

Dr. Brett Wujek SIMULIA Regional Users Meeting October 12, 2011

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Simulation process flow modeling

Isight: Scope of Capabilities

Limited distributed computing through LSF, SSH, PBS/Torque (specific components only) Design Exploration

Single Desktop User

Interactive Data Analysis

Customization through scripting and open component architecture

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Isight: Beyond the Desktop

Single Desktop User

HPC clusters?

Idle compute resources?

Remote applications?

Secure/managed environment?

Collaboration?

Web/Remote Access?

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Isight: Beyond the Desktop

Single Desktop User

Collaboration?

Web Access?

HPC clusters?

Idle compute resources?

Remote applications?

Distributed Resource Management

Collaboration

Webtop/ Custom Web Interfaces

SEE

Stations

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Distributed Resource Management

Single Desktop User

ACS (Application Control Server):

Governs the execution of the workflow and the distribution of work to Stations

Isight

SEE Stations

• Distributed heterogeneous execution

• Parallel simflow execution

• Work item load balancing (true load balancing through use of LSF)

WebSphere or WebLogic

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A Station is a client (service) that resides on a computing resource (workstation, cluster, grid) and can do work on behalf of SEE

Continuous contact with the SEE

Stations tell the SEE server the amount and type of workitems its compute resource will accept

Station B, Windows, Abaqus,

Station A , Linux, Abaqus,

SEE Stations

Station C , Windows Abaqus, Excel

Station D, Linux

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SEE: Run As Job Submitter

Station X

A

A Substation process

Station X was

B

started by User B

When Station X receives a work item for a Job

submitted by User A, a

“substation” process is started on behalf of User A to execute the component (process killed after 5 minutes of idle time) User A submits a Job

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Secure Credential Management

Many components/plugins/data handlers access external systems

 Access Database, FTP server, CRM, ERP, PDM,…

 Need credentials to access those systems at runtime

 Previously required storing user and encoded password in configuration

“Secure credentials” privilege can be set for any published item

 Component/etc. can use API to access credential information

 FiperAdmin security role required to set this privilege

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By default, launched jobs start executing immediately.

A new option in SEE allows users to launch jobs that will execute at a later time Common use is to run jobs in „off hours‟ while machines are idle

Control Job Launch Time

When to run – default:

[appears for SEE only]

When to run - other options:

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SEE Job Reliability Improvements

In the event an unplanned SEE server shutdown (crash) or of loss of network

connectivity, any jobs that were executing at the time will now be resumed when the SEE server is restarted or network connection is restored

Stations block further attempts to communicate with the SEE server upon loss of connectivity with SEE server until the connectivity is restored.

Component timeouts are suspended upon loss of connectivity with the SEE server.

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Fastflow Execution

Performance of models with fast (sub-second) iterating subflows is sub- par on SEE execution when compared to standalone execution

“Fastflow” execution results in comparable performance by executing part of a model (Fastflow submodel) on a single Station, reducing the

„over the wire‟ traffic necessary in distributed execution.

Fastflow Root

Fastflow Submodel

This component and all descendants will execute together on a Station

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Fastflow Execution

Test models with fast iterating sim-flows were found to take around 30 times longer to execute in SEE as compared to Isight Standalone

Model

Num runs

average (HH:MM:SS)

Std Deviation

(MM:SS.S) Max (HH:MM:SS) Ratio (SEE/Isight) FIS subflow approx -

SS-Root 26 0:14:36 12:47.2 0:55:16 29.20

FIS approx

component - SS-Root 18 0:13:58 04:30.2 0:22:09 27.03

With the Fastflow option enabled, results were greatly improved

Model

Num runs

average (HH:MM:SS)

Std Deviation

(MM:SS.S) Max (HH:MM:SS) Ratio (SEE/Isight) FIS subflow approx -

SS-Root 56 0:00:35 00:28.7 0:02:09 1.96

FIS approx

component - SS-Root 54 0:00:47 00:30.4 0:02:27 0.63

**Results can be further improved by not saving results from the subflow to the database if the history is not needed

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Collaboration

Single Desktop User

Isight

SEE

Collaboration?

Collaboration

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Collaboration: Model Sharing

Single Desktop User

Library: A repository for all system extensions (components, plug-ins, visuals, etc.) and any models you want to archive

Isight

Managed directory of files

Oracle or DB2

Library Library

SEE

Collaboration

• Versioning

• Access-controlled

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Model Practitioners Desktop clients

Model Developer

SEE Library

Using the SEE library to manage workflow models

 Manage

 Share

 Collaborate

 Access Controls

Publish

ACS – Application Control Server

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Collaboration: Job Results Sharing

Single Desktop User

Job Database: Organized storage and retrieval of execution and post- processing results

Isight

Directory

of files MySQL Oracle

or DB2

Library Job DB

Job DB SEE

Collaboration

• Access-controlled

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SEE Job Database

What‟s in a “job”?

1. Configured sim-flow

2. Data for every component (workitem) execution

• Parametric history

• File history

3. Configured graphs/tables

Search based on time, model user Load or Re-run job

Manage: rename, delete, export/import

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Remote Access

Single Desktop User

Web Access?

Webtop/ Custom Web Interfaces

SEE

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Collaboration: Sharing Automated Processes

-Secure

-Version controlled

Captures automated design and simulation process with Isight and

Publish

Model Practitioners

Web clients

Model Developer

J2EE

(Web,App, and DB servers)

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Out-of-the-Box SEE Webtop User Interface

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Remote Web client execution:

1) Update geometry (thickness, fillets, etc) and plastic

2) Executes: Fiper manages all executions (CATIA, Abaqus, Excel) remotely If desired, the SEE open API allows for easily customizable Web deployable applications

Heterogeneous Compute Environment

SEE Web Deployable design and simulations

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Customized Webtop with 3D interactive Visuals

User input geometry parameters

Calculated Stress Results

Visualize 3D results

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SEE System Overview

Design Gateway

Design Environment

API

Design-Time Run-Time

Results Security Admin

SEE

Partners / Suppliers Federation (B2B)

Webtop/ Custom UI Runtime Gateway

Execution Environment

Internal Tools

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Isight Workflow: Going Beyond the Desktop