Communications interface facilitating operations of a persistent spatially-optimized computer-based simulation

• US 10,289,767 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2016
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Improbable Worlds Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Improbable Worlds Ltd.
• Inventors: Whitehead, Robert James Frederick, Tang, Hanying, Lewis, Matthew John Reveley, Lipka, Peter Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Kamini S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ford, Stephen D.
• Application Number:
  US15/361,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20180060462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 703 22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5083 Techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications

Abstract

Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for performing, providing, managing, executing, and/or running a spatially-optimized simulation are presented. In one or more embodiments, the spatially-optimized simulation may comprise a plurality of worker modules performing the simulation, a plurality of entities being simulated among the plurality of worker modules, a plurality of bridge modules facilitating communication between workers and an administrative layer including a plurality of chunk modules, at least one receptionist module, and at least one oracle module. The spatially-optimized simulation may be configured to provide a distributed, persistent, fault-tolerate and spatially-optimized simulation environment. In some embodiments, load balancing and fault tolerance may be performed using transfer scores and/or tensile energies determined among the candidates for transferring simulation entities among workers. In some embodiments, the plurality of bridge modules may expose an application programming interface (API) for communicating with the plurality of worker modules.

Claims

1. A method for communicating with a worker module in a spatially-optimized simulation distributed among a plurality of worker modules, wherein each worker module corresponds to a different spatial region within the spatially-optimized simulation, said method comprising:

exposing a first Application Programming Interface (API) for adding an entity to the simulation

receiving first API data through the first API and from a process executing under a different processor thread from and on a same or different processor than the worker module, wherein the first API data comprises a first parameter indicating the entity to be added and a second parameter indicating an initial state of the entity;

responsive to receiving the first API data, adding the entity to the spatial region corresponding to the worker module;

exposing a second API for removing the entity from the simulation;

receiving second API data through the second API and from a process executing under a different processor thread from and on the same or different processor than the worker module, wherein the second API data comprises a third parameter indicating the entity to be removed;

responsive to receiving the second API data, removing the entity from the spatial region corresponding to the worker module;

exposing a third API for notifying the worker module of a change in a state of a component;

receiving third API data through the third API and from a process executing under a different processor thread from and on the same or different processor than the worker module, wherein the third API data comprises a fourth parameter indicating the entity comprising the component to be modified and a fifth parameter indicating the state of the component;

responsive to receiving the third API data, modifying the state of the component of the entity based on the fourth and fifth parameters;

exposing a fourth API for delegating authority of the component;

receiving fourth API data through the fourth API and from a process executing under a different processor thread from and on the same or different processor than the worker module, wherein the fourth API data comprises a sixth parameter indicating the entity comprising the component to be delegated and a seventh parameter indicating the component to be delegated; and

responsive to receiving the fourth API data, delegating authority for the component of the entity to the worker module.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a fifth API comprises an eighth parameter indicating an entity comprising the component to be undelegated and a ninth parameter indicating the component to be undelegated, and wherein the fifth API triggers the component to remove delegation authority from the worker module.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a sixth API comprises a tenth parameter indicating an entity comprising the component, an eleventh parameter indicating the component, and a twelfth parameter indicating to set delegation authority on the component, and where the sixth API triggers the component to delegate authority to the worker module.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein a sixth API comprises a tenth parameter indicating an entity comprising the component, an eleventh parameter indicating the component, and a twelfth parameter indicating to unset delegation authority on the component, and where the sixth API triggers the component to remove delegation authority from the worker module.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the seventh API comprises a thirteenth parameter indicating the entity comprising the component to be updated and a fourteenth parameter indicating the state of the component, and wherein the seventh API triggers update of the state of the component.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein a seventh API comprises a thirteenth parameter indicating the entity comprising the component to be updated and a fourteenth parameter indicating the state of the component, and wherein the seventh API triggers notification of a change in the state of the component.

7. A method for communicating with a worker module in a spatially-optimized simulation distributed among a plurality of worker modules, wherein each worker module corresponds to a different spatial region within the spatially-optimized simulation, said method comprising:

adding an entity to the spatial region of the simulation corresponding to the worker module responsive to receiving, from a process executing under a different processor thread from and on a same or different processor than the worker module, a message in accordance with a format of a first Application Programming Interface (API), and based on a first parameter of the message indicating the entity to be added and a second parameter of the message indicating an initial state of the entity;

removing the entity from the spatial region of the simulation corresponding to the worker module responsive to receiving, from a process executing under a different processor thread from and on a same or different processor than the worker module, a message in accordance with a format of a second API, and based on a third parameter of the message indicating the entity to be removed;

modifying a state of a component of an entity being simulated by the worker module responsive to receiving, from a process executing under a different processor thread from and on a same or different processor than the worker module, a message in accordance with a format of a third API, and based on a fourth parameter of the message indicating the entity comprising the component to be modified and a fifth parameter of the message indicating the state of the component;

delegating authority of the component to the worker module responsive to receiving, from a process executing under a different processor thread from and on a same or different processor than the worker module, a message in accordance with a format of a fourth API, and based on a sixth parameter of the message indicating the entity comprising the component to be delegated and a seventh parameter of the message indicating the component to be delegated.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a fifth API comprises an eighth parameter indicating an entity comprising a component to be undelegated and a ninth parameter indicating the component to be undelegated, and wherein the fifth API triggers the component to remove delegation authority from the worker module.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a sixth API comprises a tenth parameter indicating an entity comprising a component to be delegated, an eleventh parameter indicating the component, and a twelfth parameter indicating to set delegation authority on the component, and where the sixth API triggers the component to delegate authority to the worker module.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein a sixth API comprises a tenth parameter indicating an entity comprising a component to unset delegation, an eleventh parameter indicating the component, and a twelfth parameter indicating to unset delegation authority on the component, and where the sixth API triggers the component to remove delegation authority from the worker module.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein a seventh API comprises a thirteenth parameter indicating an entity comprising a component to be updated and a fourteenth parameter indicating the state of the component, and wherein the seventh API triggers update of the state of the component.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein a seventh API comprises a thirteenth parameter indicating an entity comprising a component to be updated and a fourteenth parameter indicating the state of the component, and wherein the seventh API triggers modification of the state of the entity in the simulation.

13. One or more non-transitory computer readable media comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause a system to perform a method for communicating with a worker module of a spatially-optimized simulation distributed among a plurality of worker modules, wherein each worker module corresponds to a different spatial region within the spatially-optimized simulation, by:

adding an entity to the spatial region of the simulation corresponding to the worker module responsive to receiving, from a process executing under a different processor thread from and on a same or different processor than the worker module, a message in accordance with a format of a first Application Programming Interface (API), and based on a first parameter of the message indicating the entity to be added and a second parameter of the message indicating an initial state of the entity;

removing the entity from the spatial region of the simulation corresponding to the worker module responsive to receiving, from a process executing under a different processor thread from and on a same or different processor than the worker module, a message in accordance with a format of a second API, and based on a third parameter of the message indicating the entity to be removed;

modifying a state of a component of an entity being simulated by the worker module responsive to receiving, from a process executing under a different processor thread from and on a same or different processor than the worker module, a message in accordance with a format of a third API, and based on a fourth parameter of the message indicating the entity comprising the component to be modified and a fifth parameter of the message indicating the state of the component;

delegating authority of the component to the worker module responsive to receiving, from a process executing under a different processor thread from and on a same or different processor than the worker module, a message in accordance with a format of a fourth API, and based on a sixth parameter of the message indicating the entity comprising the component to be delegated and a seventh parameter of the message indicating the component to be delegated.

14. The computer readable media of claim 13, wherein a fifth API comprises an eighth parameter indicating an entity comprising a component to be undelegated and a ninth parameter indicating the component to be undelegated, and wherein the fifth API triggers the component to remove delegation authority from the worker module.

15. The computer readable media of claim 14, wherein a sixth API comprises a tenth parameter indicating an entity comprising a component to be delegated, an eleventh parameter indicating the component, and a twelfth parameter indicating to set delegation authority on the component, and where the sixth API triggers the component to delegate authority to the worker module.

16. The computer readable media of claim 14, wherein a sixth API comprises a tenth parameter indicating an entity comprising a component to unset delegation, an eleventh parameter indicating the component, and a twelfth parameter indicating to unset delegation authority on the component, and where the sixth API triggers the component to remove delegation authority from the worker module.

17. The computer readable media of claim 15, wherein a seventh API comprises a thirteenth parameter indicating an entity comprising a component to be updated and a fourteenth parameter indicating the state of the component, and wherein the seventh API triggers update of the state of the component.

18. The computer readable media of claim 16, wherein a seventh API comprises a thirteenth parameter indicating an entity comprising a component to be updated and a fourteenth parameter indicating the state of the component, and wherein the seventh API triggers modification of the state of the entity in the simulation.