simcloud: running operational simulators in the cloud

Telespazio VEGA Deutschland GmbH

SIMCLOUD:

Running Operational

Simulators in the Cloud

A. Langs, C. Mehlig (Telespazio VEGA),

S. Ferreri (Terma GmbH), M. Sarkarati (ESA/ESOC)

07/04/2015

© Telespazio VEGA Deutschland

Overview

2 SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015

Introduction

Platform-as-a-Service

Software-as-a-Service

Deployment Concept

Cloud Based Provisioning

The SIMSAT Cloud Agent and Daemon

The Cloud Management API

User Interface

Performance Analysis

Conclusions and Future Work


Introduction

3

SIMSAT Operational Spacecraft Simulators

SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015

MMI Simulation Kernel

CORBA

Naming

Service

Daemon


Introduction

4

Nowadays: Operational Simulator Delivery and Deployment


ESA Dedicated

Hardware

Simulator #1

Reference

Architecture

Generic

Models Ground

Models

…

Simulator Delivery

Simulator #1

Simulator #2

Simulator #... … …

…

SIMSAT


Introduction

5

SIMCLOUD: Cloud Based Deployment and Runtime


SIMSAT

Ground

Models

Generic

Models

Simulator #1

Simulator #2

Simulator #...

Simulator Delivery ESA Cloud

…

Simulator #1 Simulator #2

Simulator #1

Simulator #2

Reference

Architecture


Platform-as-a-Service and Software-as-a-Service


Software-as-a-Service

Platform-as-a-Service


Deployment Concept

7

„Deployments“ Folder Containing a „Deployment“ per Operational Simulator




8

Original and SIMCLOUD Approach for Starting Simulators in SIMSAT


Daemons

MMI

Simulation

Selection

Simulation

Launch

VM / HW

Central PaaS

Sim A Sim B Sim C

Sim A Sim B Sim C

Original SIMSAT SIMCLOUD

Sim Sim

1

2

3

4

Start of daemon by the

simulator user

Start SIMSAT MMI to open a

simulation on a specific

daemon

Start of cloud agent &

daemon by the cloud

operator

Start SIMSAT MMI to open a

simulation by name/version

Daemon reports avail.

simulators of single share

folder

Agent reports avail.

simulators of deployments

folder

Launch of the simulation on

the dedicated machine

Launch of the simulation on

the ESA Cloud



9

SimCloud Main Components


Modified SIMSAT

MMI

Central PaaS

server

Cloud

management layer

ESA vCloud

Shared file server

with deployments



10

The SIMSAT Cloud Agent and Daemon


Cloud Agent manages a number

of Cloud Daemons

Types of Cloud Daemons:

shared

elastic

Cloud Agent can create additional

VMs each running a Cloud

Daemon



11

The Cloud Management API


Additional layer using the

VMware vCloud API

Controls the virtual datacentre

hosting the VMs in the ESA

Cloud

VMs are

1. created

2. started

3. configured

4. shut down

5. deleted


User Interface

12

„Open Simulation“ Dialog


User confirmation

Selection by simulator

name/version


User Interface

13

Possible Results:

Operational Simulator is …


started on an existing

machine

not started at all

(user aborts)

started on a new VM



Multiple operational simulators

Comparison between

Physical machine(s)

Virtual machine

Virtual machine on the ESA

Cloud

14

Overview


Credits: ESA



15

Virtualization Overhead


Bepi Colombo

Virtualization costs 10-30%

performance

Maximum speed factor

while running simulator

with Ground Stations

„Free running“ mode

after restored

operational simulation

state

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

0 1 3 4

Ave

rage

sp

ee

d f

acto

r

Number of Ground stations

Physical (G7)

ESA Cloud



Maximum speed factor

Generation time of

operational configurations

Simulator performance

with multiple parallel

emulators

high logging rate

under heavy load

(with/without payload

models)

16

Physical vs. Virtual: Test Cases


Performance relative to physical machine (G8)

Performance highly dependent on

choice/set-up of the virtualization

layer

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

TC1 TC2 TC3 TC4 TC5 TC6

Physical (G7)

ESA Cloud


Future Work

17

SIMCLOUD: From Proof-of-Concept to the SIMULUS Product


Deployment

Concept in

the SIMSAT

product

Multi-User

Multi-Version

Multi-Mission

Multi-

SIMSAT


Future Work

18

Webinterface for the PaaS



Conclusions

… changed the architecture, design and

code of multiple SIMULUS components

… eases the runtime environment for

simulator users

19

SIMCLOUD…


Virtualization and Cloud Concepts…

… can be a valuable alternative

… benefits the end user

simplified interaction

elasticity and gentle usage of resources

Telespazio VEGA Deutschland GmbH

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION


Image Sources

SIMULUS logo: http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2013/10/Simulus_no_claim

Mission images: ESA


http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2013/10/Simulus_no_claim



simcloud: running operational simulators in the cloud

Business

cloud operator

simsat cloud agent

cloud agent daemon

operational simulators

operational simulator

cloud management api

operational simulator

simsat sesp