HPC Solutions for the Manufacturing Industry
HPC Solutions for the Manufacturing Industry
V Koichiro Suzuki V Nobuhiro Uchida V Hideaki Kuraishi V John Wagner (Manuscript received March 28, 2008)
The most important requirement of a high performance computing (HPC) system, commonly known as a supercomputer, has traditionally been computational perfor- mance. Users have had to be familiar with advanced operations in order to make ef- ficient use of high-priced and high-performance hardware. In recent years, however, there has been a shift toward low-cost HPC systems based on a general-purpose ar- chitecture such as personal computer clusters. As a result, the use of HPC systems is now spreading among users specializing in computational science research to the design and development departments in the manufacturing industry that promote vir- tual prototyping (simulation) to reduce development costs. These trends have gen- erated a need for solutions that enable users to operate and manage HPC systems easily and perform design and development work efficiently. This paper explains HPC Portal, a Web-based tool for using HPC systems, System Administrator Portal, an op- eration and management tool, and SynfiniWay, a workflow tool. It also gives examples of solutions using these tools.
1. Introduction manage HPC systems easily through the Web Manufacturing firms hope to become more interface.4) Moreover, Fujitsu Systems Europe competitive by raising the efficiency of design Ltd. has developed SynfiniWay5) as a workflow and development work that uses computer-aided tool to make design and development work on design (CAD)1) and computer-aided engineer- HPC systems more efficient. This paper explains ing (CAE)2) systems as well as by reducing costs, application examples of solutions that use these shortening product time-to-market, and improv- tools for manufacturing firms. ing product quality. Against this background, high performance computing (HPC) systems 2. HPC Portal to support CAE have been spreading among users in compu- users tational science research3) to the design and This section introduces examples to help development departments in the manufactur- CAE users to perform analyses with the simple ing industry. On the other hand, users who graphical user interfaces (GUIs) provided by have used only Windows and the Web in the HPC Portal. past are now confronted with the lack of skill to operate Linux (and UNIX) and the burden of 2.1 Functions administering HPC facilities in the information HPC Portal is a tool that enables end users technology (IT) infrastructure. To solve these to use heterogeneous HPC systems from a Web problems, Fujitsu has developed HPC Portal and browser in a common and easy way. In addition System Administrator Portal4) to operate and to basic functions like file operation, compil-
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ing and linking, job submission, status display, The simple GUI creation function can and batch job deletion, HPC Portal provides generate user-unique parameter-input forms a function that makes it easy to customize a automatically just by specifying component types GUI specific to simulation work in design and (text boxes, pull-down menus, etc.) and menu development (customization of application GUI). selection values in a simple definition file. The Some typical screenshots of HPC Portal are advanced function enables end users to code shown in Figure 1. parameter-input forms by using a Perl script. This lets them create a GUI more freely than 2.2 Customization functions the simple GUI creation function. Although this Considering that system configuration and method requires programming skill, it is much operating policies differ from one customer to less expensive than developing an entire Web another, a fixed GUI would satisfy the needs of application because end users only need to create few customers. HPC Portal has a function that parameter-input forms. The concept behind enables the GUI to be easily customized by a the customization of application GUIs and an definition file or template file, so it can support example of GUI creation are shown in Figure 2. various types of computer equipment and accom- In addition, the base software called POESY modate changes in operating policy such as queue behind HPC Portal and System Administrator classes. Furthermore, with this “application GUI Portal (described later) acts as a content manage- customization” function, HPC Portal provides the ment system6) that simplifies the creation of following functions to simplify the creation of a portals for various purposes. It can be used to job-execution GUI specific to simulation work: edit menus and create Web pages by simple 1) Simple GUI creation by using a definition scripting rules that do not require any HTML file statements. In short, POESY is not limit- 2) Advanced GUI creation by using a Perl ed to creating job-execution GUIs—end users script can easily add pages, including user guide and
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Figure 1 Screenshots of HPC Portal.
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operating-schedule announcements to menus to unfamiliar with Linux (and UNIX) and promote create and provide CAE support portals that are the use of CAE by providing job-execution GUIs even easier to use. for commonly used CAE applications. 2) Pre/post menus to make simulation work 2.3 Effects of introduction efficient 1) CAE support by simple GUIs In addition to job-execution, the appli- Targeting two computer centers that have cation GUI customization function can be installed the HPC Portal tool, we investigat- adopted to support the preparation of input data ed whether users selected the conventional way (pre-processing) and the preparation of graphs of Linux (and UNIX) (i.e., login by ssh) or HPC and other graphic media for visualizing results Portal. Both centers are in manufacturing indus- (post-processing). POESY, meanwhile, can be tries that promote CAE. We found that the used to automatically generate result reports number of users logging in from HPC Portal was that include simulation parameters and image greater than that from ssh at both centers. We files for visualizing results and to enable infor- then compared the HPC Portal usage frequency mation to be shared among people engaged in between the two centers, and we found that the design and development through the Web. For center with more GUIs created by the application end users who need pre/post processes, we can GUI customization function had a higher HPC create simulation portals that include menus for Portal usage frequency. This shows that simple the “pre-solver-post” sequential processes. These and efficient GUIs created by HPC Portal can portals help to make simulation work more expand the use of HPC systems even among users efficient and simplify information sharing.
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Figure 2 Application GUI customization function.
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3. Management load reduction in Figure 3. by System Administrator Portal 3.2 Customization functions This section explains examples of how Monitoring and management targets in a System Administrator Portal can support the system differ from one customer to another, and monitoring and management of HPC systems. there are various needs in terms of Web menus and screen layout. The display modules making 3.1 Functions up System Administrator Portal display only System Administrator Portal is a tool that monitoring information and operation GUIs and enables system administrators to monitor and do not display entire Web pages. It is the role of manage a heterogeneous system composed of POESY to lay out entire pages and embed those different types of computer equipment using a display modules in pages. As shown in Figure 4, uniform view from a Web browser. It provides this embedding can be defined by simple script- functions for displaying running status, manag- ing rules. In short, each display module may be ing power supplies, displaying CPU and memory coded for a specific function, so it helps to save utilization rates, displaying disk utilization development and maintenance costs. rates, managing users, and retrieving job logs. It consists of base software called POESY plus 3.3 Effects of System Administrator Portal tools for collecting information targeted for 1) Intuitive understanding of conditions in monitoring and a group of modules for convert- monitoring functions ing collected information into graphical output In System Administrator Portal, the node included on POESY pages. Here, OS commands running-status displays and trouble-status (ping, sar, and free) are used to collect necessary displays linked with the E-mail notification information as well as middleware (power-supply function described later are useful for enabling management and job scheduler) provided by a system administrator to comprehend problem individual vendors. RRDtool freeware7) is used to conditions at a glance. In addition, the histori- create historical utilization graphs. Some screen- cal graphs showing CPU/memory utilization shots of System Administrator Portal are shown rates and disk utilization rates display changes
A $ISPLAY OF RUNNING STATUS B $ISPLAY OF #05MEMORY UTILIZATION RATE HISTORY
Figure 3 Screenshots of System Administrator Portal.
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in system usage quantitatively. This can provide by the SupportDesk maintenance service provid- a system administrator with reference data for ed by Fujitsu targets hardware fault indications optimizing IT-infrastructure investment planning and abnormalities and operating system crashes, and operation design. System Administrator Portal can monitor various 2) Simple operation and management services (ssh, NFS, license management, etc.) operations that can affect operation as well as the amount From a company’s point of view, the costs of disk usage and other characteristics. This involved in training the personnel needed for makes it possible to respond quickly to service operating and managing a system and the cost abnormalities and to problems originating in the of system operation are major issues in addition environment that are generally difficult to notice, to the cost of deploying an IT infrastructure. thereby contributing to early system restoration The straightforward GUIs provided by System and improved system availability ratio. Administrator Portal for system power on and off, operation schedule setting, user registration, 4. SynfiniWay etc. require no advanced skills on the part of the This section introduces effective utilization operator. Moreover, the ability to handle differ- of computing resource and efficiency of design ent computer equipment with a set of common and development work by SynfiniWay. operations in System Administrator Portal helps to reduce the cost of training system administra- 4.1 Functions tors and lower the system operation load on those SynfiniWay is a tool that enables individu- administrators. al simulation processes that span a distributed 3) E-mail notification function computer environment (distributed computing System Administrator Portal includes an resources) to be defined as services, and it enables E-mail notification function for enabling a speedy those services to be combined as needed to response to faults that occur in the target system. construct optimal workflows for a customer’s While the remote notification function provided design and development work. Installed as
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Figure 4 Embedding of display modules in System Administrator Portal.
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dedicated client software on a user’s personal IT infrastructure and achieve global scaling in computer, it provides GUIs for inputting workflow the design and development work of customers and simulation parameters, and it includes a involved in the manufacturing industry. function for automatically transferring simula- tion input data prepared at the user’s personal 4.3 Service-oriented approach computer to the most appropriate computer. Although the Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) has been receiving much attention as the 4.2 Global scaling newest trend in the world of IT, there are still As globalization continues to progress in many aspects of the manufacturing industry that the manufacturing industry, manufacturing have yet to be automated when designing and firms must be able to use computing resources developing products using IT (such as complicat- spread across multiple sites and organizations ed scripts for otherwise well designed processes more effectively if they are to be more flexible in which the order of execution may go forward or and global in their operations. That is, the global backward by jumping steps, the manual transfer scaling of design and development work must be of data, etc). This is due to a lack of middleware thought of as an essential element to enhancing with specifications that are robust against the the competitive and collaborative abilities of an demands of diverse production lines. SynfiniWay organization (Figure 5).8)-12) The ultimate objec- is designed to treat individual tasks in any kind tive of SynfiniWay is to provide a service-oriented of work as services.
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Figure 5 Architecture of SynfiniWay.
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4.4 Framework script-writing methods, and application-specific The SynfiniWay framework hides the usage methods. physical location of computing resources and Introducing a service-oriented IT system provides available resources in a virtual manner enables users to construct reusable and indepen- (Figure 6). One reason for this approach is dent design and development workflows that that users simply have no need to recognize are separated from the IT infrastructure the location of computing resources, but anoth- layer. With a design built upon the ability to er is to improve security by avoiding the way in use computing resources located anywhere which users log in directly to computers by ssh, within the SynfiniWay framework, SynfiniWay telnet, and other commands in order to work. enables specialized technology in a firm’s work SynfiniWay also enables users to concentrate to be developed and circulated throughout the on design and development work, as it were, organization. Some customers have recently their primary objective, because it eliminates demonstrated how SynfiniWay can be used to the need to acquire specialized IT knowledge incorporate computer systems of outside insti- such as Linux (and UNIX) operating methods, tutions within a firm’s existing IT framework to
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Figure 6 Computer resource allocation and meta-scheduling in SynfiniWay.
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cope with peak load times in computer usage. use of IT for virtual prototyping (simulation) of products in design and development departments 4.5 Workflow and file transfer in the manufacturing industry can be expected to The idea behind SynfiniWay’s workflow accelerate from here on. In addition to provid- is based on Workflow Management Coalition ing HPC infrastructures, Fujitsu and Fujitsu (WfMC) V1.0 specifications.13) A workflow is a Systems Europe Ltd. plan to develop tools and set of tasks linked by sequence, branching, and solutions that will promote further use of HPC repetition. Here, files that are needed by a service in design and development work, enhance securi- called from within a workflow are automatical- ty, improve usability, reduce operating costs, and ly transferred to the computer executing that awaken business potential. service so that the user is freed from the work Finally, we would like to extend our deep of executing file transfers. This file transfer appreciation to our many customers for their function in SynfiniWay transfers files to a target gracious opinions and comments on Fujitsu’s computer in the shortest possible time. By recon- expansion to tool development and the solutions figuring and managing design and development business. work performed in a heterogeneous and distribut- ed computer environment in the form of services, References SynfiniWay enables work and IT management to 1) CAD. http://www.answers.com/topic/ be completely separated. computer-aided-design?cat=technology 2) CAE. http://www.answers.com/topic/ 4.6 Workflow/task meta-scheduling computer-aided-engineering?cat=technology To use registered computing resources in 3) Computational science. http://www.answers.com/ the most effective way, SynfiniWay provides a computational+science?cat=technology meta-scheduling function. The optimal use of 4) HPC (high performance computing). (in Japanese). computing resources expedites computational http://jp.fujitsu.com/solutions/hpc/ results and minimizes wasted time (Figure 6). 5) Service-Oriented Architecture. http://www.fujitsu.com/uk/services/synfiniway/ In meta-scheduling, a component of SynfiniWay index.html called the Service Manager decides when a task 6) CMS (contents management system). http://www.answers.com/ should be executed. To manage a framework content+management+system?cat=technology spread across the globe, the meta-scheduling 7) About RRDtool. http://oss.oetiker.ch/rrdtool/ function includes a function for harmonizing task 8) M. Grieves: Product Lifecycle Management. execution between executing workflows. For the McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., New York, 2006, pp.95-127. future, the plan is to extend SynfiniWay functions 9) Better By Design. The Economist (US), Technology such as by adding an execution function that Quarterly pp.21-23 (17 September 2005). 10) CIMdata: Press Release: CIMdata Releases considers priority among different workflows and its 2007 PLM Market Analysis Report: tasks and a sensor function that provides various Comprehensive Information and Analysis of the PLM Market. October 25, 2007. types of usage information through the incorpo- http://www.cimdata.com/news_events/ ration of framework sensors. press_release.html?press_release_ID=7 11) J. Brown et al.: Profitable Design Chains: Global Product Design Comes of Age. Aberdeen Group, 5. Conclusion October 2007. 12) J. Brown: The Product Lifecycle Collaboration This paper described the features of tools Benchmark Report: The Product Profitability “X” developed by Fujitsu and Fujitsu Systems Europe Factor? Aberdeen Group, June 2006. 13) Workflow Management Coalition: Workflow Ltd. for use with HPC systems and introduced Standard—Interoperability. Wf-XML Binding examples of solutions using those tools. The Document Number WFMC-TC-1023.
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Koichiro Suzuki Hideaki Kuraishi Fujitsu Ltd. Fujitsu Ltd. Mr. Suzuki received the B.E. degree in Mr. Kuraishi received the M.E. degree Electronics and Information Engineering in Nuclear Engineering from Tokyo from Yokohama National University, Institute of Technology in 1997. During Yokohama, Japan in 1989. He joined six years of experience in Fujitsu Ltd. Fujitsu Ltd. in 1989 and has been en- as an IT system engineer, he has been gaged in the support of supercomputer in charge of providing and expanding systems and development of the HPC HPC and grid solutions to national re- Portal system. search institutes and R&D departments of manufacturers.
Nobuhiro Uchida John Wagner Fujitsu Ltd. Fujitsu Systems Europe Ltd. Mr. Uchida received the B.E. degree Mr. Wagner received the B.S. de- in Architectonics in 1990. He joined gree in Mathematics, majoring in Fujitsu Ltd. in 1990 and was engaged Computing Science, from Wollongong in implementation and operation sup- University, Australia in 1981. He joined port of computer systems for research Fujitsu Australia in 1982 and sup- institutes until 2002. He worked in an ported mainframe customers using independent administrative agency from Fujitsu’s equivalent to the MVS operat- 2003 to 2005 where he engaged in op- ing system. In 1989, he moved to the eration and maintenance of computer high-performance computing area, spe- systems and their backbone network. Since 2006, he has been cializing in operating facilities, scheduling techniques, and man- dedicating himself to developing and providing operation man- agement of HPC-based systems. More recently, he has been agement solutions for universities, R&D institutes, and so on. Product Manager for Fujitsu Systems Europe’s grid-based prod- uct SynfiniWay. At present, his responsibilities as a Solutions Architect require him to formulate business solutions to enrich the solutions portfolio of the SynfiniWay framework through valued-added partnerships.
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