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An architecture to support scalable distributed virtual environment systems on grid

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Abstract

A Distributed Virtual Environment (DVE) system offers a computer-generated virtual world in which individuals located at different places in the physical world can interact with one another. In order to achieve real-time response for a large user base, DVE systems need to have a scalable architecture. In this paper, we present the design of a grid-enabled service oriented framework for facilitating the construction of scalable DVE systems on computing grids. A service component called “gamelet” is proposed, whose distinctive mark is its high mobility for supporting dynamic load sharing. We propose a gamelet migration protocol which can ensure the transparency and efficiency of gamelet migration, and an adaptive gamelet load-balancing (AGLB) algorithm for making gamelet redistribution decisions at runtime. The algorithm considers both the synchronization costs of the DVE system and network latencies inherent in the grid nodes. The activities of the users and the heterogeneity of grid resources are also considered in order to carry out load sharing more effectively. We evaluate the performance of the proposed mechanisms through a multiplayer online game prototype implemented using the Globus toolkit. The results show that our approach can achieve faster response times and higher throughputs than some existing approaches.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Tianqi Wang, Cho-Li Wang & Francis C. M. Lau

Authors
  1. Tianqi Wang
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  2. Cho-Li Wang
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  3. Francis C. M. Lau
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tianqi Wang.

Additional information

This research is supported in part by the China National Grid project (863 program) and the HKU Foundation Seed Grant 28506002.

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Wang, T., Wang, CL. & Lau, F.C.M. An architecture to support scalable distributed virtual environment systems on grid. J Supercomput 36, 249–264 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11227-006-8296-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11227-006-8296-z

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