NETWORKED COMPUTING LABORATORY

Computer Science Department

Brigham Young University

2208 TMCB Brigam Young University Provo, UT 84602 801.378.8299

RESEARCH INTERESTS

The following projects are currently of interest in the laboratory. Graduate students may propose topics that are not on this list, but we would really like to focus on these topics at the current time.

• Network Simulation and Statistical Analysis
  • Our research pertains to relevant problems facing the implementation and evolution of AT&T Frame Relay and IP Enabled Frame Relay services. The scope our research includes traffic analysis, flow and congestion control, QoS and CoS guarantees, MPLS VPN scaling, survivability, and reliability.
  
  
• Meta Scheduling and Resource Management
  • We are currently developing tools for use in Cluster/Supercomputing environments. Our research includes Meta-Scheduling, Resource Management, and Visualization.
  
  
• XWeb
  • A replacement for the world wide web that replaces HTML and HTTP. XWeb is designed to incorporate functionality from the outset that has been (somewhat awkwardly) added to HTML and HTTP after the fact.
    
• Adaptive Parallelism
• DOGMA Screen Saver
• Otherwise idle time utilizing screen saver that works in tandem with DOGMA.
• Parallel Computing Using Java takes advantage of idle cycles which can either be volunteered when a user selects a web page, or when a custom screen saver is activated. Please see the DOGMA homepage.
• Continuing research will enhance the current Java system to investigate the performance of Java based parallel systems in a distributed environment.
• Windows MPI has been developed to allow supercomputer users to run their applications on Windows based systems.
• The performance surface paradigm has been developed to allow many machines on the internet to collaborate in solving large parallel applications.  Continued research must be performed to make intellegent placement decisions when scheduling jobs.
• Process migration is essential if idle machines are to be used until the owner needs to use them.  We have experimented with Java Virtual Machine changes which allow Java threads to  migrate.  Continued research must be performed to determine when to migrate threads and how to reconnect their I/O resources.


• Computational Science Applications
  • We are currently developing several significant parallel applications and are collaborating with investigators in other disciplines.  Examples of applications that will be investigated include:
    • Statistical applications
    • Phylogenetic Inference (Zoology)
  
  
• Clustered Web Server Performance
  • We are currently investigating content aware request distribution in large http server clusters.
  
  
• We also have several fun projects that will probably not have funding available, but would be interesting to look into.
  • Immersadesk system for virtual reality using commodity hardware.
  • Mobile computing research on palmtop machines.
  • Video Conferencing research.
  
  

• Simulation Software We have modified the NIST ATM Simulator for use in thesis topics, research, etc. This allows us to perform some good simulations and tests for research as if it were a real network. We added multicasting, QFC flow control, corrected bugs, and made changes to improve the graphics and the code.

• SNMP research by Qinping Huang and the associated tar file containing the source code for his tool.

• Routing over ATM Networks
Click here to see a UNI 3.1 Signalling demonstration
Click here to see a comparison of routing techniques

POSSIBLE THESIS TOPICS

• Operating system support for migrating threads including I/O considerations.
• Evaluating ATM and Gigabit Ethernet Networks for video, audio, and data traffic.
• Performance Surfaces scheduling system.
• RED Analysis..
• Computational Science Applications on DOGMA.

Last updated Thrusday, 02 Feb 2000
Comments: clement@cs.byu.edu