Simulation and Optimization to solve a Design Problem
Budget: $30 – $250 USD
A crossbar, used in both communications and computer engineering, is a type of switch that allows for multiple input lines and multiple output lines to form any set of connections (alternatively called a matrix switch). A crossbar can be modeled in many different ways, including with discrete event simulation. In this problem, we can discrete event simulation (via SimPy) to simulate the crossbar switch, such that we can use optimization methods to find optimal crossbar design parameters.
We will use a smaller crossbar with just one Resource that has 4 slots. In a more complex simulation, we could just add PriorityResource objects, such that the number of PriorityResource objects is the same number as the outputs, and have some more complex behavior around multiple processes being able to request the same resource at one time. In this problem, though, we'll just keep it simple, again just one standard Resource with 4 slots.
Our crossbar can be modeled using a process that has the following properties:
We will use a smaller crossbar with just one Resource that has 4 slots. In a more complex simulation, we could just add PriorityResource objects, such that the number of PriorityResource objects is the same number as the outputs, and have some more complex behavior around multiple processes being able to request the same resource at one time. In this problem, though, we'll just keep it simple, again just one standard Resource with 4 slots.
Our crossbar can be modeled using a process that has the following properties: