Transcript Simulation as a Service

Simulation as a Service: A Cloud-Based
Framework to Support the Educational Use
of Scientific Software
Tom Bitterman, Da Cai, Dave Hudak,
Rajiv Ramnath, Jay Ramanathan,
Belinda Zhang
Introduction
• Simulation as a Service
• Polymer Portal Overview
• Polymer Portal Requirements and Challenges
• Polymer Portal Architecture and Implementation
• Evaluation and Conclusions
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Simulation as a Service
• Simulation software is
– expensive to purchase
– difficult to install and maintain
– complicated to run
• Potential users need
– to train on the software before purchase
– to be able to buy just as much as they need
• Offering simulation software as a service is a good
fit
Users and Uses
Academic Use
Industrial Use
Training
Courses
Seminars
Simulation
Class Project
Research
Product Development
Testing
• We were required to support both academic
and industrial users
• There were both similarities and differences in
how each group wanted to use the system
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Common Requirements
• Support for a variety of packages
• Remote access
• Ease of use
• Ability to handle large-scale simulations
• Secure
• Reasonable cost
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Solution Features
• E-Catalog - provided
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User-friendly interface metaphor
Collaboration (forums, wikis)
Educational and training resources
Access to purchased services
E-commerce capability
• Single sign-on - enabled
– simplified user experience
– single point of entrance
Solution Features (contd.)
• Cloud environment – support for
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heterogeneous environments (Windows, Linux)
scaling to large problems
uneven load schedules
wide variety of software
interface to HPC environment
Architecture
• E-Catalog
Polymer Portal
Polymer Ohio
Login,
Accounting,
Billing
User
Accounts
Tools
Tool
Inventory
OSC
– Own web content
Home Page
• Drupal, Moodle
Training
Online
Learning
– External account
Consulting
• OSC cloud services
Help and
Contacts
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Web
Platform
Authentication
Accounting
HPC
Platform
Windows
Platform
Common
Storage
User makes http connections to Web, ssh and VNC connections
to HPC and RDP connections to Windows
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Data transfer
SSH and VNC to HPC
RDP to Windows
Common storage
Common authentication
Common accounting
Polymer Portal
• Provides polymer companies with
software and training for modeling
and simulation
https://polymerportal.osc.edu/
– Established with Polymer
Ohio as part of the NIST MEP
grant
– Takes advantage of
educational materials created
under an NSF grant
• Application Services
– Windows GUI applications:
Moldex 3D, Ludovic, Avercast
– Web applications: PFAST,
Polymer Properties Predictor
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Results
• We have offered training courses
– they have been well attended
– user feedback has been positive
– support for both industrial and academic users
• Industrial use is just beginning
• Currently expanding software offerings
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Application Service Case Study: PFAST
• Production Flow Analysis and
Simulation Tool
– Dr. Irani, Industrial, Welding
and Systems Engineering,
OSU
• Industrial Engineering
– design of manufacturing cells
and facility layout design
• Original application:
Microsoft Visual C++
• OSC services provides
– Web-based user interface
– E-catalog access
– Secure access for multiple
users