Lilith: A Java framework for the development of scalable tools for high performance distributed computing platforms

Increasingly, high performance computing constitutes the use of very large heterogeneous clusters of machines. The use and maintenance of such clusters are subject to complexities of communication between the machines in a time efficient and secure manner. Lilith is a general purpose tool that provides a highly scalable, secure, and easy distribution of user code across a heterogeneous computing platform. By handling the details of code distribution and communication, such a framework allows for the rapid development of tools for the use and management of large distributed systems. Lilith is written in Java, taking advantage of Java`s unique features of loading and distributing code dynamically, its platform independence, its thread support, and its provision of graphical components to facilitate easy to use resultant tools. The authors describe the use of Lilith in a tool developed for the maintenance of the large distributed cluster at their institution and present details of the Lilith architecture and user API for the general user development of scalable tools.