Evaluation of a server-client architecture for accelerator modeling and simulation

Traditional approaches to computational modeling and simulation often utilize a batch method for code execution using file-formatted input/output. This method of code implementation was generally chosen for several factors, including CPU throughput and availability, complexity of the required modeling problem, and presentation of computation results. With the advent of faster computer hardware and the advances in networking and software techniques, other program architectures for accelerator modeling have recently been employed. Jefferson Laboratory has implemented a client/server solution for accelerator beam transport modeling utilizing a query-based I/O. The goal of this code is to provide modeling information for control system applications and to serve as a computation engine for general modeling tasks, such as machine studies. This paper performs a comparison between the batch execution and server/client architectures, focusing on design and implementation issues, performance, and general utility towards accelerator modeling demands