The Correct Distributed Simulation Protocol (CDSP) is a unique and innovative protocol that directly addresses a need in the emerging technology of distributed simulations. Distributed Training Simulations (SIMNET, DSI) do not, and are not required to produce correct results. They need only provide realistic cues. However, when distributed simulations are used for analysis purposes; for example, to assess whether a weapons system will perform to meet system requirements, the simulation must be correct. A correct distributed simulation, in this context, is repeatable and synchronized; the simulation gives the same answers each time it is run; the simulated sequence of events occurs in the same order in the distributed simulation as it would if it were not distributed. Correctness of distributed simulations is strongly affected by communications induced node-to-node latencies; correctness is also strongly affected by simulation design. Communication system characteristics that generate these latencies include speed of light delays, store and forward nodes, bandwidth induced latencies, and communications protocols. A principal simulation characteristic that interacts with these latencies is the degree of coupling among distributed simulation nodes. The correct distributed simulation protocol is a unique high level protocol that reduces application-to-application latency by addressing both communications and simulation design in order to achieve simulation correctness.
Keywords: Correct Distributed Simulation Protocol
