Presenter: Dale Beerman, University of Virginia

Abstract:

Cluster-based high-performance rendering has recently emerged as an alternative to expensive standalone graphics systems. Although these techniques are gaining widespread acceptance, new methods still need to be developed to enable better use of available resources. We have built a remote event distribution system to enable interactive applications on clusters. CRUT, the Cluster Rendering Utility Toolkit, provides a GLUT-like interface to each node in a cluster. These nodes can define callbacks to be triggered by events produced on a remote system. We also employ a simple sampling technique to help avoid latency in the system while processing the most important events.

In this talk, we will describe the architecture of CRUT, and give examples of its use. We will also present our recent work on remote image delivery for Chromium. Standalone "visualization centers", typically housing a large-scale display wall, can sometimes be inconvenient, as they are not usually located in close vicinity to the people using them the most. We would like to be able to deliver the combined rendering resources of a cluster to a remote location (such as a user's desktop).

Event Distribution and Image Delivery are only two components of a larger, more general system capable of handling multiple users. We will also describe other planned aspects of the system, such as flexible resource allocation/arbitration, and a network-aware graphics system. In the end, we will enable the use of clusters as an interactive remote service, enabling high-performance graphics for multiple users on devices with widely varying bandwidth and performance capabilities.