Towards an improved data centre simulation with DCSim

Computing is increasingly moving into large-scale data centres, providing resources on-demand for clients on a pay-per-usage basis. One form of such on-demand computing is an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Cloud, which provides low level access to virtualized resources. Developing and evaluating data centre management techniques for such large-scale data centres presents a significant challenge. As such, most work turns to simulation tools as the test environment. We present a number of extensions and additional features to an existing simulation tool, DCSim. Our improvements to DCSim include work on the core of the simulator, improved event, communication and management mechanisms, and a more complete model of the structure of a data centre. We also present improved simulation configuration tools and output, including a unique visualization tool. We evaluate the usefulness of the simulator through a demonstration of its use in comparing dynamic VM management techniques.