[comp.protocols.misc] RPCs

snorthc@pokey.nswc.navy.mil (Stephen Northcutt) (08/31/90)

I have followed the RPC discussion though I don't claim to
understand everything.  At this point I am kind_of_sorta
familiar with: ISODE, Netwise, and OSF's DCE.

Three months ago, a co-worker and I experimented with the
ISODE RPC system: ANS.1 compiler; app. templates.  The
application, though trivial, worked.  So now I have a warm
fuzzy for ISODE as an RPC tool.

Project:
This week I was assigned to investigate a networked (distributed,
concurrent) approach for some scientific modeling applications as
a Proof of Concept.

The purpose is to compare contrast this approach against a
couple "Parallel in a box" machines we have.

I would prefer not to use ISODE for this,
because I am alpha testing some OSI software based on ISODE and
it is hard to keep my code separate from the vendor(s).

Requirements:
The hardware base I intend to use is SUN 3/60s (SUNOS 4.0.3),
SUN 3 280 (SUNOS 4.1), DEC 3100 (ULTRIX 4.0) and a couple
unloved uvaxes (ULTRIX 4.0).  If the RPC I choose is available
for the platform, I can utilize a CDC 990 running NOS/VE.
Round 1, the systems will utlize ethernet, but we have already
ordered and FDDI interface for the SUN server and I want to
move the systems to FDDI as the project progresses.  I will
be running TCP as the transport initially, but am willing to
consider XTP or TP4 later.

Software.  Most of the existing code is Fortran, largely
based on Dr. Al Morris's math libraries.  I plan to write
mostly C or G++ code, to "glue" things.

Now the RPC or whatever.  The ideal system would be shipping
by 1 OCT for the HW/SW platforms I have available.  I need
concurrency, I would like to be as close as possible to a
POSIX compliant threads environment.  

In a perfect world, to do development with this system I would
interface with an X Window based workbench, with at least rudimentary
CASE capabilities.... whoops I was dreaming for a minute, sorry.

For this experiment to return any meaningful results I will need
some profiling/timing tools, preferably driven from some meta
applications monitor.

Possible approaches:
Reinvent the wheel, we could try to develop our own client server
stubs... I hear you laughing... actually before we ever heard of
Netwise/OSF et al  a sister group built a big hairy networked
distributed simulation, it is fairly elegant at this point (3 yrs old),
but does not support concurrency.

Netwise SUN ONC?  I attended the Netwise talk at interop 89, and have seen
some of those viewgraphs mucho times.  	This might be a good option
when they support concurrency.

OSF DCE?  I heard these talks a Xhibition and have follow up materials.
Sounds good, IF I can get production code in a timely fashion.
My gov't agency isn't going to deal with the license restrictions req'd
to join OSF (we having trouble getting the right signatures for
MOTIF) and I am not bullish about snapshots.

Network Linda?  I need to learn more about this?

Any other possibilities, paradigms?

Advice Requested:
  





===================================================================
Stephen Northcutt (snorthc@relay.nswc.navy.mil)
Work: (703) 663-7745
Home: (703) 371-4184
Paper Mail: Code E41, NSWC, Dahlgren VA 22448