Object State Management Server for Distributed Simulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
As the number of computing nodes in distributed real-time or near real-time computer simulations, such as large-scale online video games, increases, the bandwidth and computational power required to maintain object state updates grows significantly, posing a challenge in scalability.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a plurality of application servers and an object state management server that stores and distributes object state data, reducing the need for direct communication between application servers by having them communicate with the object state management server, which then forwards the data to other servers, and only sending updated data, thereby minimizing bandwidth and computational requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the number of computing nodes is increased to meet demand, then the simulation capacity and scalability are improved, but the bandwidth and computational power required increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
An object state management server is introduced as an intermediary between application servers to manage object state data. The management server receives state data from application servers and distributes it to relevant servers, eliminating the need for direct peer-to-peer communication between all application servers. This intermediary approach reduces the overall bandwidth consumption and computational overhead in the distributed simulation system.
Solution Approach 2:
The management of object state data is extracted from the application servers and centralized in a dedicated object state management server. This separation allows application servers to focus on simulation logic while the management server handles data distribution, reducing the computational power requirements of individual nodes and optimizing overall system efficiency.
2Speed
If each application server communicates directly with all other application servers, then real-time data exchange is achieved, but the bandwidth consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The object state management server acts as a central intermediary that receives state data from application servers and distributes it to relevant servers. This eliminates the need for each application server to communicate directly with all others, maintaining real-time data exchange while significantly reducing total bandwidth consumption by centralizing the communication hub.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements selective data distribution where the object state management server only sends updated state data to application servers that need it, rather than broadcasting to all servers. This partial action approach ensures real-time updates for relevant servers while minimizing unnecessary bandwidth consumption across the entire network.
Data Source
AI summary
A system. The system comprising: a plurality of application servers, each configured to simulate one or more objects in a shared virtual environment, and to communicate with one or more client devices so as to exchange data related to the one or more objects and the shared virtual environment. Each object generates and/or has associated with it, object state data indicative of one or more states of each object. The system further comprises an object state management server, configured to store and distribute object state data of the one or more objects simulated in the shared virtual environment. The object state management server is connected via a network to the plurality of application servers, and is configured to: receive further object state data related to a given object from a respective application server of the plurality of application servers, and to distribute said further object state data to at least one other application server of the plurality of application servers.