Parameter sweep experiments in hybrid computing systems with r language

Abstract

High-performance and distributed computing are the backends aimed to equip researchers in addressing computationally intensive modeling and simulation problems. While high-performance systems, such as supercomputers, require specific knowledge and algorithms to be efficiently utilized, the so-called desktop grid systems and hybrid computing systems (as a combination of the former two classes) provide a relatively easy configurable and cheap solution for obtaining necessary computational power. Observing a large number of researchers using R language as a primary solution for applied studies (including modeling, simulation and statistical study in various fields), we introduce the RBOINC package for R language. The package allows to easily perform the so-called parameter sweep type of experiments in R language over BOINC infrastructure, the de-facto standard software solution for desktop grid systems. We discuss the implementation, uncover the possible use-cases and provide some directions for future work.