Skip to main content

An Agent Framework for High Performance Simulations over Multi-core Clusters

  • Conference paper
AsiaSim 2013 (AsiaSim 2013)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 402))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

Agent based modeling and simulation is widely recognized as an effective tool for the analysis of complex systems. This paper proposes a novel approach to modeling and high-performance parallel simulation of scalable agent models based on actors and the Theatre agency. The approach aims to an exploitation of the computing power of modern clusters of multi-core machines. Key factors of the approach are (i) it allows to take advantage of the lock-free cooperative model of concurrency of actors even in a parallel/multi-threaded scenario, (ii) it avoids serialization of messages exchanged among actors residing on different theatres allocated on a same CPU. Achievable execution performance of the proposed simulation framework is demonstrated through the parallel/distributed simulation of a large-scale multi-agent system.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Wooldridge, M.: An introduction to multi-agent systems. John Wiley & Sons (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Ferber, J.: Multi-Agent Systems: An Introduction to Distributed Artificial Intelligence. Addison Wesley Longman (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Logan, B.: Evaluating agent architectures using simulation. In: Evaluating Architectures for Intelligence: Papers from the 2007 AAAI Workshop, pp. 40–43. AAAI Press (2007); Technical Report WS–07–04

    Google Scholar 

  4. Pawlaszczyk, D., Strassburger, S.: Scalability in distributed simulations of agent-based models. In: Proc. of Winter Simulation Conference, pp. 1189–1200 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Tang, W., Wang, S.: HPABM: A hierarchical parallel simulation framework for spatially-explicit agent-based models. T. GIS 13(3), 315–333 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Frantz, C., Nowostawski, M., Purvis, M.: Multi-agent platforms and asynchronous message passing: Frameworks overview. Information Science Discussion Papers Series 7 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Collier, N., North, M.: Parallel agent-based simulation with Repast for High Performance Computing. In: Simulation, Trans. of SCS (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0037549712462620

  8. Perumalla, K.S., Aaby, B.G.: Data parallel execution challenges and runtime performance of agent simulations on GPUs. In: Proc. of the Spring Simulation Multi Conference, pp. 116–123 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Richmond, P., Walker, D.C., Coakley, S., Romano, D.M.: High performance cellular level agent-based simulation with FLAME for the GPU. Briefings in Bioinformatics 11(3), 334–347 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Fujimoto, R.M.: Parallel and distributed simulation systems. John Wiley (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Cicirelli, F., Furfaro, A., Nigro, L.: An agent infrastructure over HLA for distributed simulation of reconfigurable systems and its application to UAV coordination. Simulation, Trans. of SCS 85(1), 17–32 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Logan, B., Theodoropoulos, G.: The distributed simulation of multiagent systems. Proceedings of the IEEE 89(2), 174–185 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Cicirelli, F., Giordano, A., Furfaro, A., Nigro, L.: HLA_ACTOR_REPAST: An Approach to Distributing RePast Models for High-Performance Simulations. Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory 19(1), 283–300 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Shook, E., Wang, S., Tang, W.: A Communication Aware Framework for Parallel Spatially Explicit Agent Based Models. International Journal of Geographical Information Science (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13658816.2013.771740

  15. Geer, D.: Industry trends: Chip makers turn to multicore processors. Computer 38(5), 11–13 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Bahulkar, K., Hofmann, N., Jagtap, D., Abu-Ghazaleh, N., Ponomarev, D.: Performance Evaluation of PDES on Multi-core Clusters. In: Proc. of the Intern. Symp. on Distributed Simulation and Real Time Applications, pp. 131–140 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Cicirelli, F., Furfaro, A., Giordano, A., Nigro, L.: Performance of a multi-agent system over a multi-core cluster managed by terracotta. In: Proc. of the Symposium on Theory of Modeling & Simulation: DEVS Integrative M&S Symposium, pp. 125–133 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Potuzak, T.: Distributed-parallel road traffic simulator for clusters of multi-core computers. In: Proc. of the IEEE/ACM 16th International Symposium on Distributed Simulation and Real Time Applications, pp. 195–201 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Suzumura, T., Kanezashi, H.: Highly scalable X10-based agent simulation platform and its application to large-scale traffic simulation. In: Proc. of the Intern. Symp. on Distributed Simulation and Real Time Applications, pp. 243–250 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Ricci, A., Viroli, M., Piancastelli, G.: simpA: An agent-oriented approach for programming concurrent applications on top of Java. Sci. Comput. Program. 76(1), 37–62 (2011)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  21. Agha, G.: Actors: a model of concurrent computation in distributed systems. MIT Press, Cambridge (1986)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Cicirelli, F., Furfaro, A., Nigro, L., Pupo, F.: Agents over the grid: An experience using the globus toolkit 4. In: Proc. of the 26th European Conference on Modelling and Simulation, ECMS 2012 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Jim, K.C., Giles, C.L.: Talking helps: evolving communicating agents for the predator-prey pursuit problem. Artif. Life 6(3), 237–254 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Panait, L., Luke, S.: Cooperative multi-agent learning: The state of the art. Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems 11(3), 387–434 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Challet, D., Zhang, Y.C.: Emergence of Cooperation and Organization in an Evolutionary Game. Physica A 246(3-4), 407–418 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Johnson, N.F., Hui, P.M., Zheng, D., Tai, C.W.: Minority game with arbitrary cutoff. Physica A 269(2-4), 493–502 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Remondino, M., Cappellini, A.: Minority game with communication of statements and memory analysis: a multi-agent based model. International Journal of Simulation 6(5), 42–53 (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Cicirelli, F., Giordano, A., Nigro, L.: Distributed simulation of situated multi-agent systems. In: Proc. of the IEEE/ACM 15th International Symposium on Distributed Simulation and Real Time Applications, pp. 28–35 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Cicirelli, F., Nigro, L. (2013). An Agent Framework for High Performance Simulations over Multi-core Clusters. In: Tan, G., Yeo, G.K., Turner, S.J., Teo, Y.M. (eds) AsiaSim 2013. AsiaSim 2013. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 402. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45037-2_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45037-2_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-45036-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-45037-2

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics