Pseudo Random Numbers Generators available as Web Services

Series of pseudo random numbers are often used as simulation input, and they strongly influence the results. Thus, their usage and the usage of their generator need to be taken care of very well. Qualified generators are available on the Web as source code or libraries. However, they require an additional middleware to adapt them to the running environments, and this can lead to misuses. This paper proposes pseudo random number generators embedded inside a Web service for the use in simulations. This service, while offering a unique interface accessible from any platform, eases the important task of retrieving correct pseudo random numbers. The general architecture of the service is presented, as well as a reference implementation. The performance of the Web service generator is compared to the performance of local generators.