Adam A Testbed for Distributed Virtual Environments

In distributed virtual environments (DVEs) the data on which the hosts operate is not consistent at all times. To restore data consistency, the DVE has to employ a consistency algorithm. Unfortunately, all existing DVEs have been built for specific application scenarios, which makes it impossible to compare the consistency algorithms and to choose a suitable candidate for a new scenario. To overcome this, we have created a modular simulator-based DVE testbed named Adam with the ability to plug in different application scenarios as well as different consistency algorithms and network constraints. The testbed also contains a large set of measurement tools. Our testbed currently supports two application scenarios and several of the most common consistency algorithms found in the literature. We can compare the solutions on an objective scale and confirm that optimistic consistency typically outperforms loose consistency.