Synchronization Algorithm Gor Peer-To-Peer Interactive Distributed Simulation Implemented In a Single-Threaded Web Application

Abstract

This article presents a synchronization algorithm for distributed interactive peer-to-peer simulation in a web browser. It is a practical utilization of web browsers in combination with modern technologies for realization of computation- and network-heavy simulation tasks. Due to present limitations of web browsers, especially due to their limited computing power, a class of realizable tasks is defined. Such tasks can be successfully solved with web browsers. The article also covers the operating principles of web applications, with focus on JavaScript and problems arising from its concept. The text describes the algorithm and used network topologies of the logical processes, and their synchronization methods. Advantages and disadvantages of realizing a simulation with a web browser are described as well, as well as the reasons why the not-so-frequently used peer-to-peer simulation was used. To conclude, a use case for application scope testing is characterized, i.e. identifying the appropriate number of logical processes, frequency of interactive interventions, usable numbers of objects, etc., for which the presented algorithm is appropriate.