Containerization of high level architecture-based simulations: A case study

Abstract

NATO and the nations use distributed simulation environments for various purposes, such as training, mission rehearsal, and decision support in acquisition processes. Consequently, modeling and simulation (M&S) has become a critical technology for the coalition and its nations. Achieving interoperability between participating simulation systems and ensuring credibility of results currently often requires enormous effort with regards to time, personnel, and budget. Recent technical developments in the area of cloud computing technology and service oriented architecture (SOA) may offer opportunities to better utilize M&S capabilities in order to satisfy NATO critical needs. A new concept that includes service orientation and the provision of M&S applications via the as-a-service model of cloud computing may enable composable simulation environments that can be deployed rapidly and on-demand. This new concept is known as M&S as a Service (MSaaS). There has also been the recent emergence of containerization as an alternative to virtualization. Containerization is the process of creating, packaging, distributing, deploying, and executing applications in a lightweight and standardized process execution environment known as a container. Because containers are, in principle, lightweight, they are suitable to serve as the vehicle for the provision of packaged (micro)services. Service orientation is an approach to the design of heterogeneous, distributed systems in which solution logic is structured in the form of interoperating services. This paper investigates various aspects of service orientation and containerization including simulation composition, networking, discovery, scalability, and overall performance. This investigation provides background information on the topics of service orientation, containerization, and Docker – a technology ecosystem for working with containers. A case study is presented for the use of Docker in support of a training simulation based on the high level architecture (HLA). The HLA is an IEEE standard architecture for distributed simulation environments that was originally developed for defense applications. The case study introduces a number of training use cases, and shows how Docker can be used to assist in their implementation. The performance impact of running a simulation within container technology is also investigated. The application of container technology to HLA-based simulations as presented in this paper is novel. The motivation for looking at this topic stems from the activity being conducted within NATO MSG-136.

Keywords

Service orientation cloud computing containerization distributed simulation high level architecture

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

NATO Science and Technology Organization CSO. Modelling and Simulation as a Service (MSaaS) Rapid deployment of interoperable and credible simulation environments (MSG-136), https://www.sto.nato.int/Pages/activitieslisting.aspx (2014, accessed 11 July 2016).

IEEE Std 1516TM-2010 – IEEE Standard for Modeling and Simulation (M&S) High Level Architecture (HLA) – Framework and Rules, https://standards.ieee.org/findstds/standard/1516-2010.html (2010, accessed 13 September 2010)

IEEE Std 1516.1TM-2010 – IEEE Standard for Modeling and Simulation (M&S) High Level Architecture (HLA) – Federate Interface Specification, https://standards.ieee.org/findstds/standard/1516.1-2010.html (2010, accessed 25 March 2010).

IEEE Std 1516.2TM-2010 – IEEE Standard for Modeling and Simulation (M&S) High Level Architecture (HLA) – Object Model Template (OMT) Specification, https://standards.ieee.org/findstds/standard/1516.2-2010.html. (2010, accessed 6 August 2010).

NATO. NATO Standardization Agreement (STANAG) 4603 Edition 2. Orlando, USA, 17 February 2015. Orlando, FL: SISO.

Cramp

Van Den Berg

Huiskamp

. Service orientation for the design of HLA federations. In: SISO Fall Simulation Interoperability Workshops Orlando, USA, 8–12 September 2014, pp. 329–339. Orlando, FL: SISO.

Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization. HLA PDG – High-Level Architecture, https://www.sisostds.org/StandardsActivities/DevelopmentGroups/HLAPDG-High-LevelArchitecture.aspx (2016, accessed 11 July 2016).

MacKenzie

. Reference Model for Service Oriented Architecture 1.0. 12 October 2006. Burlington, MA: OASIS.

The Open Group. Service-Oriented Architecture Ontology Version 2.0. April 2014, Reading, UK: The Open Group.

10.

Object Management Group. Service oriented architecture Modeling Language (SoaML) Specification Version 1.0.1. Needham, MA: Object Management Group, 2012.

11.

NATO. NATO Architecture Framework Version 3. Brussels, Belgium: NATO C3 Board, 2007.

12.

Open Container Initiative. The Open Container Initiative, https://www.opencontainers.org (2016, accessed 11 July 2016).

13.

Docker, Inc. Build, ship, and run any app, anywhere, https://www.docker.com (2016, accessed 11 July 2016).

14.

Pitch Technologies, http://www.pitchtechnologies.com (2016, accessed 11 July 2016).

15.

VT MÄK, http://www.mak.com. (2015, accessed 11 July 2016).

16.

Portico. The PoRTIco Project, http://www.porticoproject.org (2016, accessed 6 May 2016).

17.

Docker, Inc. Docker Hub. 11 July 2016. https://hub.docker.com.

18.

Docker, Inc. Progrium, https://hub.docker.com/u/progrium (2013, accessed 11 July 2016).

19.

Weaveworks. Weave, http://weave.works (2014, accessed 11 July 2016).

20.

Cramp

Fletcher

van den Berg

. An introduction to using Docker in support of HLA federations. In: SimTecT, Australasian Simulation Congress Melbourne, Australia, 26–29 September 2016. Adelaide, Australia: Simulation Australasia.

21.

van den Berg

Cramp

Siegel

. Guidelines and best practices for using Docker in support of HLA federations. In: SISO Simulation Innovation Workshop (Fall 2016). Orlando, USA, 11–16 September 2016. Orlando, FL: SISO.

22.

Evans

CC.

YAML 1.2, http://yaml.org (2016, accessed 3 March 2016).

23.

Felter

. An updated performance comparison of virtual machines and Linux containers. July 2014. IBM Research Division.

24.

Weaveworks. Weave networking performance with the new fast data path, http://www.weave.works/weave-docker-networking-performance-fast-data-path (2015, accessed 16 January 2016).