REMOTE++: A Script for Automatic Remote Distribution of Programs on Windows Computers

Execution of simulation programs requires large amounts of CPU resources. Parallel Independent Replications (PIR) is one method of reducing simulation run time by enabling time-based parallelization of simulations on multiple distributed machines. Existing PIR systems are targeted for Unix machines. A Windows-based program for distributing executables and their associated input and output files to idle Windows PCs is developed. Wintel PCs dominate desktop computing, therefore, providing hours of unused CPU cycles that can be exploited to accelerate simulation. The new REMOTE++ program uses standard remote shell (rsh) and remote copy (rcp) services to enable remote program execution and the transfer of input and output files. The remote computer needs only a standard rsh /rcp daemon available from independent software vendors. A single master computer maintains a job list and host list and distributes jobs (from the job list) to remote hosts (from the host list). Execution results are on the master computer at the completion of a remote execution. Status from remote executions is maintained in a log file on the master computer. The REMOTE++ program builds on a previous REMOTE version and improves reliability and performance. The REMOTE++ program was used to investigate run time trends needed for steady state simulation of an M/M/1 queue at utilizations approaching 1.0. It was found that as the utilization approaches 100% the simulation time grows increasingly longer. The REMOTE++ program is open source and freely available from the authors.