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At least 163 records · Page 9

The QDP/PLT user's guide

PLT is a high level plotting package. A Programmer can create a default plot suited for the data being displayed. At run times, users can then interact with the plot overriding any or all of these defaults. The user is also provided the capability to fit functions to the displayed data. This ability to display, interact with, and to fit the data make PLT a useful tool in the analysis of data. The Quick and Dandy Plotter (QDP) program will read ASCII text files that contain PLT commands and data. Thus, QDP provides and easy way to use the PLT software QPD files provide a convenient way to exchange data. The QPD/PLT software is written in standard FORTRAN 77 and has been ported to VAX VMS, SUN UNIX, IBM AIX, NeXT NextStep, and MS-DOS systems.

Tennant, Allyn F.

High performance computing system for flight simulation at NASA Langley

The computer architecture and components used in the NASA Langley Advanced Real-Time Simulation System (ARTSS) are briefly described and illustrated with diagrams and graphs. Particular attention is given to the advanced Convex C220 processing units, the UNIX-based operating system, the software interface to the fiber-optic-linked Computer Automated Measurement and Control system, configuration-management and real-time supervisor software, ARTSS hardware modifications, and the current implementation status. Simulation applications considered include the Transport Systems Research Vehicle, the Differential Maneuvering Simulator, the General Aviation Simulator, and the Visual Motion Simulator.

Cleveland, Jeff I., II

A CLIPS/X-window interface

The design and implementation of an interface between the C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) expert system development environment and the graphic user interface development tools of the X-Window system are described. The underlying basis of the CLIPS/X-Window is a client-server model in which multiple clients can attach to a single server that interprets, executes, and returns operation results, in response to client action requests. Implemented in an AIX (UNIX) operating system environment, the interface has been successfully applied in the development of graphics interfaces for production rule cooperating agents in a knowledge-based computer aided design (CAD) system. Initial findings suggest that the client-server model is particularly well suited to a distributed parallel processing operational mode in a networked workstation environment.

Pohl, Kym Jason

PVEX: An expert system for producibility/value engineering

PVEX is described as an expert system that solves the problem of selection of the material and process in missile manufacturing. The producibility and the value problem has been deeply studied in the past years, and was written in dBase III and PROLOG before. A new approach is presented in that the solution is achieved by introducing hypothetical reasoning, heuristic criteria integrated with a simple hypertext system and shell programming. PVEX combines KMS with Unix scripts which graphically depicts decision trees. The decision trees convey high level qualitative problem solving knowledge to users, and a stand-alone help facility and technical documentation is available through KMS. The system developed is considerably less development costly than any other comparable expert system.

Lam, Chun S.

Ada and the rapid development lifecycle

JPL is under contract, through NASA, with the US Army to develop a state-of-the-art Command Center System for the US European Command (USEUCOM). The Command Center System will receive, process, and integrate force status information from various sources and provide this integrated information to staff officers and decision makers in a format designed to enhance user comprehension and utility. The system is based on distributed workstation class microcomputers, VAX- and SUN-based data servers, and interfaces to existing military mainframe systems and communication networks. JPL is developing the Command Center System utilizing an incremental delivery methodology called the Rapid Development Methodology with adherence to government and industry standards including the UNIX operating system, X Windows, OSF/Motif, and the Ada programming language. Through a combination of software engineering techniques specific to the Ada programming language and the Rapid Development Approach, JPL was able to deliver capability to the military user incrementally, with comparable quality and improved economies of projects developed under more traditional software intensive system implementation methodologies.

Deforrest, Lloyd

A vector-product information retrieval system adapted to heterogeneous, distributed computing environments

Vector-product information retrieval (IR) systems produce retrieval results superior to all other searching methods but presently have no commercial implementations beyond the personal computer environment. The NASA Electronic Library Systems (NELS) provides a ranked list of the most likely relevant objects in collections in response to a natural language query. Additionally, the system is constructed using standards and tools (Unix, X-Windows, Notif, and TCP/IP) that permit its operation in organizations that possess many different hosts, workstations, and platforms. There are no known commercial equivalents to this product at this time. The product has applications in all corporate management environments, particularly those that are information intensive, such as finance, manufacturing, biotechnology, and research and development.

Rorvig, Mark E.

ELAS: A powerful, general purpose image processing package

ELAS is a software package which has been utilized as an image processing tool for more than a decade. It has been the source of several commercial packages. Now available on UNIX workstations it is a very powerful, flexible set of software. Applications at Stennis Space Center have included a very wide range of areas including medicine, forestry, geology, ecological modeling, and sonar imagery. It remains one of the most powerful image processing packages available, either commercially or in the public domain.

Walters, David

NASTRAN internal improvements for 1992 release

The 1992 NASTRAN release incorporates a number of improvements transparent to users. The NASTRAN executable was made smaller by 70 pct. for the RISC base Unix machines by linking NASTRAN into a single program, freeing some 33 megabytes of system disc space that can be used by NASTRAN for solving larger problems. Some basic matrix operations, such as forward-backward substitution (FBS), multiply-add (MPYAD), matrix transpose, and fast eigensolution extraction routine (FEER), have been made more efficient by including new methods, new logic, new I/O techniques, and, in some cases, new subroutines. Some of the improvements provide ground work ready for system vectorization. These are finite element basic operations, and are used repeatedly in a finite element program such as NASTRAN. Any improvements on these basic operations can be translated into substantial cost and cpu time savings. NASTRAN is also discussed in various computer platforms.

Chan, Gordon C.

Technique for using a geometry and visualization system to monitor and manipulate information in other codes

A technique was developed to allow the Aero Grid and Paneling System (AGPS), a geometry and visualization system, to be used as a dynamic real-time geometry monitor, manipulator, and interrogator for other codes. This technique involves the direct connection of AGPS with one or more external codes through the use of Unix pipes. AGPS has several commands that control communication with the external program. The external program uses several special subroutines that allow simple, direct communication with AGPS. The external program creates AGPS command lines and transmits the line over the pipes or communicates on a subroutine level. AGPS executes the commands, displays graphics/geometry information, and transmits the required solutions back to the external program. The basic ideas discussed in this paper could easily be implemented in other graphics/geometry systems currently in use or under development.

Dickens, Thomas P.

The development of a program analysis environment for Ada: Reverse engineering tools for Ada

The Graphical Representations of Algorithms, Structures, and Processes for Ada (GRASP/Ada) has successfully created and prototyped a new algorithm level graphical representation for Ada software, the Control Structure Diagram (CSD). The primary impetus for creation of the CSD was to improve the comprehension efficiency of Ada software and thus improve reliability and reduce costs. The emphasis was on the automatic generation of the CSD from Ada source code to support reverse engineering and maintenance. The CSD has the potential to replace traditional prettyprinted Ada source code. In Phase 1 of the GRASP/Ada project, the CSD graphical constructs were created and applied manually to several small Ada programs. A prototype (Version 1) was designed and implemented using FLEX and BISON running under the Virtual Memory System (VMS) on a VAX 11-780. In Phase 2, the prototype was improved and ported to the Sun 4 platform under UNIX. A user interface was designed and partially implemented. The prototype was applied successfully to numerous Ada programs ranging in size from several hundred to several thousand lines of source code. In Phase 3 of the project, the prototype was prepared for limited distribution (GRASP/Ada Version 3.0) to facilitate evaluation. The user interface was extensively reworked. The current prototype provides the capability for the user to generate CSD from Ada source code in a reverse engineering mode with a level of flexibility suitable for practical application.

Cross, James H., II

DEPEND: A simulation-based environment for system level dependability analysis

The design and evaluation of highly reliable computer systems is a complex issue. Designers mostly develop such systems based on prior knowledge and experience and occasionally from analytical evaluations of simplified designs. A simulation-based environment called DEPEND which is especially geared for the design and evaluation of fault-tolerant architectures is presented. DEPEND is unique in that it exploits the properties of object-oriented programming to provide a flexible framework with which a user can rapidly model and evaluate various fault-tolerant systems. The key features of the DEPEND environment are described, and its capabilities are illustrated with a detailed analysis of a real design. In particular, DEPEND is used to simulate the Unix based Tandem Integrity fault-tolerance and evaluate how well it handles near-coincident errors caused by correlated and latent faults. Issues such as memory scrubbing, re-integration policies, and workload dependent repair times which affect how the system handles near-coincident errors are also evaluated. Issues such as the method used by DEPEND to simulate error latency and the time acceleration technique that provides enormous simulation speed up are also discussed. Unlike any other simulation-based dependability studies, the use of these approaches and the accuracy of the simulation model are validated by comparing the results of the simulations, with measurements obtained from fault injection experiments conducted on a production Tandem Integrity machine.

Goswami, Kumar

An installed nacelle design code using a multiblock Euler solver. Volume 2: User guide

This is a user manual for the general multiblock Euler design (GMBEDS) code. The code is for the design of a nacelle installed on a geometrically complex configuration such as a complete airplane with wing/body/nacelle/pylon. It consists of two major building blocks: a design module developed by LaRC using directive iterative surface curvature (DISC); and a general multiblock Euler (GMBE) flow solver. The flow field surrounding a complex configuration is divided into a number of topologically simple blocks to facilitate surface-fitted grid generation and improve flow solution efficiency. This user guide provides input data formats along with examples of input files and a Unix script for program execution in the UNICOS environment.

Chen, H. C.

Enhancements to the GRIDGEN structured grid generation system for internal and external flow applications

GRIDGEN is a government domain software package for interactive generation of multiple block grids around general configurations. Though it has been freely available since 1989, it has not been widely embraced by the internal flow community due to a misconception that it was designed for external flow use only. In reality GRIDGEN has always worked for internal flow applications, and GRIDGEN ongoing enhancements are increasing the quality of and efficiency with which grids for external and internal flow problems may be constructed. The software consists of four codes used to perform the four steps of the grid generation process. GRIDBLOCK is first used to decompose the flow domain into a collection of component blocks and then to establish interblock connections and flow solver boundary conditions. GRIDGEN2D is then used to generate surface grids on the outer shell of each component block. GRIDGEN3D generates grid points on the interior of each block, and finally GRIDVUE3D is used to inspect the resulting multiple block grid. Three of these codes (GRIDBLOCK, GRIDGEN2D, and GRIDVUE3D) are highly interactive and graphical in nature, and currently run on Silicon Graphics, Inc., and IBM RS/6000 workstations. The lone batch code (GRIDGEN3D) may be run on any of several Unix based platforms. Surface grid generation in GRIDGEN2D is being improved with the addition of higher order surface definitions (NURBS and parametric surfaces input in IGES format and bicubic surfaces input in PATRAN Neutral File format) and double precision mathematics. In addition, two types of automation have been added to GRIDGEN2D that reduce the learning curve slope for new users and eliminate work for experienced users. Volume grid generation using GRIDGEN3D has been improved via the addition of an advanced hybrid control function formulation that provides both orthogonality and clustering control at the block faces and clustering control on the block interior.

Steinbrenner, John P.

HST Servicing Mission Planning and Replanning Tool

An overview is presented of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Service Mission Planning and Replanning Tool (SM/PART) and the approach that was employed to develop the system. SM/PART is an AI expert system utilized by NASA to rapidly build complex timelines and command plans to control HST activities. HST servicing missions are Space Shuttle/Orbiter missions expected to occur every three to five years to rendezvous with the HST in orbit and replace, upgrade, or repair HST components. SM/PART runs on a UNIX-based workstation and is implemented in the C language with a Motif-based graphical user interface.

Johnson, J.

Graphics-Printing Program For The HP Paintjet Printer

IMPRINT utility computer program developed to print graphics specified in raster files by use of Hewlett-Packard Paintjet(TM) color printer. Reads bit-mapped images from files on UNIX-based graphics workstation and prints out three different types of images: wire-frame images, solid-color images, and gray-scale images. Wire-frame images are in continuous tone or, in case of low resolution, in random gray scale. In case of color images, IMPRINT also prints by use of default palette of solid colors. Written in C language.

Atkins, Victor R.

Network Queuing System, Version 2.0

Network Queuing System (NQS) computer program is versatile batch- and device-queuing facility for single UNIX computer or group of computers in network. User invokes NQS collection of user-space programs to move batch and device jobs freely among different computers in network. Provides facilities for remote queuing, request routing, remote status, queue-status controls, batch-request resource quota limits, and remote output return. Revision of NQS provides for creation, deletion, addition, and setting of complexes aiding in limiting number of requests handled at one time. Also has improved device-oriented queues along with some revision of displays. Written in C language.

Walter, Howard

Program For Two-Dimensional Thermoplastic Deformation

SOLAS contains number of utility programs for use with finite-element simulations. Designed to handle two-dimensional problems of quasi-static thermoplastic deformation. Includes optional postprocessing software, independent of solution codes, generating unified element-by-element list of quantitative results of computation, plus file containing signed equivalent stresses, equivalent strains, and multiaxiality factor parameter. Signs of equivalent quantities expressed either with respect to maximum principal quantities or with respect to directions defined by user. Written in UNIX shell script and FORTRAN 77.

Orient, George E.

Circuit design tool. User's manual, revision 2

The CAM chip design was produced in a UNIX software environment using a design tool that supports definition of digital electronic modules, composition of these modules into higher level circuits, and event-driven simulation of these circuits. Our design tool provides an interface whose goals include straightforward but flexible primitive module definition and circuit composition, efficient simulation, and a debugging environment that facilitates design verification and alteration. The tool provides a set of primitive modules which can be composed into higher level circuits. Each module is a C-language subroutine that uses a set of interface protocols understood by the design tool. Primitives can be altered simply by recoding their C-code image; in addition new primitives can be added allowing higher level circuits to be described in C-code rather than as a composition of primitive modules--this feature can greatly enhance the speed of simulation.

Miyake, Keith M.