Performance Evaluation of Client-Server Architectures for Large-Scale Image-Processing Applications

The goal of this study is to conduct a performance evaluation of the Virtual Microscope, a software system employing a client-server architecture to provide a realistic emulation of a high power light microscope. The system is required to provide interactive response times for the standard behavior of a physical microscope. These behaviors include continuously moving the stage and changing magnification and focus. In addition, a software solution can enable new modes of behavior that cannot be achieved with a physical microscope, such as simultaneous viewing and manipulation of one slide by multiple users. The client software runs on an end user's PC or workstation, while the database software for storing, retrieving and processing the microscope image data runs on a high performance parallel computer, potentially at a remote site.