Real-time Remote Visualization of Scientific Data

Abstract

Visualization of large amounts of simulation data is important for the understanding of most physical phenomena. The limited capabilities of desktop machines make them unsuitable for handling excessive amounts of simulation data. The present day high speed networks have made it possible to remotely visualize the data being generated by a supercomputer in real time. In order for such a system to be reliable, a robust communication protocol and an efficient compression mechanism are needed. This work presents a remote visualization system that addresses these issues, and emphasizes the design and implementation of the application level network protocol. A control theory based adaptive rate control algorithm is presented for UDP streams that maximizes the effective throughout experienced by the stream while minimizing the packet loss. The algorithm is shown to make the system responsive to changing network conditions. This makes the system deployable over any network, including the Internet.