Supporting a simulation environment with OpenSim

This paper presents the design, implementation, and usage of OpenSim. OpenSim provides new tools and integrates existing tools into an environment in order to establish a comprehensive facility for performing simulation work. First, OpenSim provides a graphical user interface for creating input files for simulations and for managing output files produced from simulations. Second, tools are provided to help a user easily generate plots from sets of output files associated with a simulation project. Third, OpenSim addresses a common problem for many simulation users, namely, lack of computing capacity to serve the jobs. In order to solve this problem, OpenSim integrates Condor, an existing system that clusters idle workstations into a processor bank, into its environment. Through Condor, users have access to a large amount of computing capacity without interfering with the local usage of workstations by their owners. Finally, since users often plan their schedules according to the deadlines required for their jobs, OpenSim enhances Condor so that users can request jobs to be scheduled within a deadline. Therefore, a user can expect that the amount of computing capacity required for a simulation project will be available before a specified deadline.