Investigating the Effects of Trees and Butterfly Barriers on the Performance of Optimistic GVT Algorithm

There is two approaches for handling timing constraints in a heterogeneous network; conservatives and optimistic algorithms. In optimistic algorithms, time constraints are allowed to be violated with the help of a time wrap algorithm. Global Virtue Time (GVT) is a necessary mechanism for implementing time wrap algorithm. Mattern [2] has introduced an algorithm for GVT based computation using a ring structure. which showed high latency. The performance of this optimistic algorithm is optimal since it gives accurate GVT approximation. However, this accurate GVT approximation comes at the expense of high GVT latency. Since this resultant GVT latency is not only high but may vary, the multiple processors involve in communication remain idle during that period of time. Consequently, the overall throughput of a parallel and distributed simulation system degrades significantly In this paper, we discuss the potential use of trees and (or) butterflies structures instead of the ring structure. We present our analysis to show the effect of these new mechanisms on the latency of the system.