Parallel remote servers for scientific computing over the web: Random polygons inscribed in a circle

Abstract

Computing over the Web can be applied to solve problems of many types of users, namely companies, which can thus benefit from the service of remote collaborators, e.g., from academia, without the user’s awareness, namely if the user is the customer. An illustration of scientific computing over the Web is described, based on remote servers in parallel, as fits separable time consuming tasks. The illustrative problem chosen was the probabilistic behaviour of the perimeter of random polygons inscribed in a circle, because: it is simple to state; its Monte Carlo resolution suits the type of computing considered; and each polygon to be simulated (with 3, 4, etc., sides) can be assigned to multiple servers, only two servers for demonstration purposes. Our objectives are: to emphasize the pertinence of the Web for scientific or other computing; and to show the use of parallel, possibly heterogeneous remote servers. The problem shown can be freely solved on the authors’ webpage. We think the benefits of scientific computing over the Web, despite the ubiquity of this environment, have lagged behind most of the other uses of the Internet.