A. Langs, C. Mehlig (Telespazio VEGA), S. Ferreri (Terma GmbH), M. Sarkarati (ESA/ESOC)

1. Telespazio VEGA Deutschland GmbH
SIMCLOUD:
Running Operational
Simulators in the Cloud
A. Langs, C. Mehlig (Telespazio VEGA),
S. Ferreri (Terma GmbH), M. Sarkarati (ESA/ESOC)
07/04/2015

2. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
Overview
2SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015
Introduction
Platform-as-a-Service
Software-as-a-Service
Deployment Concept
Cloud Based Provisioning
The SIMSAT Cloud Agent and Daemon
The Cloud Management API
User Interface
Performance Analysis
Conclusions and Future Work

3. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
Introduction
3
SIMSAT Operational Spacecraft Simulators
SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015
MMISimulation Kernel
CORBA
Naming
Service
Daemon

4. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
Introduction
4
Nowadays: Operational Simulator Delivery and Deployment
SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015
ESA Dedicated
Hardware
Simulator #1
Reference
Architecture
Generic
Models
Ground
Models
…
Simulator Delivery
Simulator #1
Simulator #2
Simulator #... … …
…
SIMSAT

5. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
Introduction
5
SIMCLOUD: Cloud Based Deployment and Runtime
SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015
SIMSAT
Ground
Models
Generic
Models
Simulator #1
Simulator #2
Simulator #...
Simulator Delivery ESA Cloud
…
Simulator #1
Simulator #2
Simulator #1
Simulator #2
Reference
Architecture

6. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
Platform-as-a-Service and Software-as-a-Service
6SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015
Software-as-a-Service
Platform-as-a-Service

7. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
Deployment Concept
7
„Deployments“ Folder Containing a „Deployment“ per Operational Simulator
SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015

8. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
Cloud Based Provisioning
8
Original and SIMCLOUD Approach for Starting Simulators in SIMSAT
SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015
Daemons
MMI
Simulation
Selection
Simulation
Launch
VM / HW
Central PaaS
Sim A
Sim B
Sim C
Sim A
Sim B
Sim C
Original SIMSAT SIMCLOUD
Sim Sim
1
2
3
4
Start of daemon by the
simulator user
Start SIMSAT MMI to open a
simulation on a specific
daemon
Start of cloud agent &
daemon by the cloud
operator
Start SIMSAT MMI to open a
simulation by name/version
Daemon reports avail.
simulators of single share
folder
Agent reports avail.
simulators of deployments
folder
Launch of the simulation on
the dedicated machine
Launch of the simulation on
the ESA Cloud

9. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
Cloud Based Provisioning
9
SimCloud Main Components
SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015
Modified SIMSAT
MMI
Central PaaS
server
Cloud
management layer
ESA vCloud
Shared file server
with deployments

10. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
Cloud Based Provisioning
10
The SIMSAT Cloud Agent and Daemon
SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015
Cloud Agent manages a number
of Cloud Daemons
Types of Cloud Daemons:
shared
elastic
Cloud Agent can create additional
VMs each running a Cloud
Daemon

11. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
Cloud Based Provisioning
11
The Cloud Management API
SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015
Additional layer using the
VMware vCloud API
Controls the virtual datacentre
hosting the VMs in the ESA
Cloud
VMs are
1. created
2. started
3. configured
4. shut down
5. deleted

12. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
User Interface
12
„Open Simulation“ Dialog
SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015
User confirmation
Selection by simulator
name/version

13. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
User Interface
13
Possible Results:
Operational Simulator is …
SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015
started on an existing
machine
not started at all
(user aborts)
started on a new VM

14. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
Performance Analysis
Multiple operational simulators
Comparison between
Physical machine(s)
Virtual machine
Virtual machine on the ESA
Cloud
14
Overview
SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015
Credits: ESA

15. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
Performance Analysis
15
Virtualization Overhead
SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015
Bepi Colombo
Virtualization costs 10-30%
performance
Maximum speed factor
while running simulator
with Ground Stations
„Free running“ mode
after restored
operational simulation
state
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
0 1 3 4
Averagespeedfactor
Number of Ground stations
Physical (G7)
ESA Cloud

16. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
Performance Analysis
Maximum speed factor
Generation time of
operational configurations
Simulator performance
with multiple parallel
emulators
high logging rate
under heavy load
(with/without payload
models)
16
Physical vs. Virtual: Test Cases
SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015
Performance relative to physical machine (G8)
Performance highly dependent on
choice/set-up of the virtualization
layer
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
TC1 TC2 TC3 TC4 TC5 TC6
Physical (G7)
ESA Cloud

17. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
Future Work
17
SIMCLOUD: From Proof-of-Concept to the SIMULUS Product
SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015
Deployment
Concept in
the SIMSAT
product
Multi-User
Multi-Version
Multi-Mission
Multi-
SIMSAT

18. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
Future Work
18
Webinterface for the PaaS
SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015

19. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
Conclusions
… changed the architecture, design and
code of multiple SIMULUS components
… eases the runtime environment for
simulator users
19
SIMCLOUD…
SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015
Virtualization and Cloud Concepts…
… can be a valuable alternative
… benefits the end user
simplified interaction
elasticity and gentle usage of resources

20. Telespazio VEGA Deutschland GmbH
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

21. © Telespazio VEGA Deutschland
Image Sources
SIMULUS logo: http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2013/10/Simulus_no_claim
Mission images: ESA
21SESP 2015 - SIMCLOUD: Running Operational Simulators in the Cloud 07/04/2015