Parallel Discrete Event Simulation Using Space-Time Memory

An abstraction called space-time memory is discussed that allows parallel discrete event simulation programs using the Time Warp mechanism to be written using shared memory constructs. A few salient points concerning the implementation and use of space-time memory in parallel simulation are discussed. It is argued that this abstraction is useful from a programming standpoint for certain applications, and can yield good performance. Initial performance measurements of a prototype implementation of the abstraction on a shared-memory multiprocessor are described, and compared with a conventional, message-based implementation of Time Warp