The Initium RJS Screensaver: Part 1, MS Windows

Douglas Lyon, Fairfield University, Fairfield CT, U.S.A. and Francisco Castellanos

REFEREED
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Abstract

This paper describes a Java-based screensaver technology for the Initium Remote Job Submission (RJS) system running on Microsoft Windows. Initium RJS is a Java Web Start (JAWS) technology that enables Java-based grid computing. The Initium RJS system uses screensavers to enable CPU scavenging.

A screensaver is a program that activates during a period of user-computer quiescence. Detection of this quiet time enables the use of otherwise wasted CPU cycles. When the period of user-computer quiescence ceases, the screensaver terminates any currently running compute jobs, releasing the computer back for general use. Such a program constitutes a first step toward utilizing otherwise idle compute resources in a grid computing system.

We are motivated to study screen-savers because they represent a minimally invasive technology for volunteering CPU services. Typically, computers are used between 40 and 60 hours out of a 168-hour week. This represents approximately 35% utilization. Screen-saver based cycle scavenging improves this number dramatically.

We are motivated to provide a Java-based environment in order to capitalize on Java’s inherent heterogeneity. This makes a larger universe of grid-compute servers available, without requiring changes to the computational program.

This paper is part 1 of a 5 part series on Java-based screensavers. Part 1 addresses the creation of screensavers on MS Windows platform systems. Parts 2 and 3 address the Linux and Macintosh-based screensavers. Part 4 addresses the automatic deployment and installation of the screensavers. Part 5 speaks to the problem of integration of the screensavers with the Initium RJS system.

Initium RJS is a joint project between DocJava, Inc. and Fairfield University. The goal of the Initium RJS system is to screen-saver based grid computing available the Java development community.

1 INTRODUCTION

We are interested in screen-saver technologies, in Java, in order to facilitate a minimally invasive computing service able to make use of otherwise unused computational resources. There is little written on the subject of screen-saver based grid computing, in Java.

Screen-saver based grid computing systems are not new [Boinc] but their use for Java computing is. Also, Java-based screensavers have, in the past, been restricted to MS Windows and Xwindows (UNIX)-based systems. The idea for using screensavers to accelerate Java grid computing has been mentioned in literature, but implementations have not been forthcoming [SaverScience].

We theorize that the creation of a Java-based screensaver that is both cross-platform and automatically installed will help in the promotion of Java as a grid-based computing platform. This paper shows how to create a screensaver using an existing framework called SaverBeans. The SaverBeans development kit is an open-source, freely-available framework consisting of both C/C++ code and Java code.

2 A JAVA-BASED SCREENSAVER

The SaverBeans Screensaver SDK project, under the Java.net group, provides a set of native subroutines that invokes Java methods in the screensaver. The SaverBeans SDK has its roots in the JDIC project (JDesktop Integration Components). The JDIC project aims to make Java™ technology-based applications ("Java applications") first-class citizens of current desktop platforms without sacrificing platform independence. Its mission is to enable seamless desktop/Java integration [JDIC1]. The kit is available from [JDIC2] as an open-source distribution.

2.1. Building the SaverBeans SDK

Once the development kit has been downloaded, create a copy of the saverbeans_startup directory and rename it to saverbeans_1. Figure 2.1-1 shows the contents of the SaverBeans startup directory.

Figure 2.1-1. The Contents of the SaverBeans Startup Directory

The build directory contains the libraries and platform specific files needed in the building process. The src directory contains the documentation, packages, and Java code used by the screensaver.

Figure 2.1-2. The Dist Directory is created during the Ant build.

The dist directory is created automatically during the compilation and construction process, as shown in Figure 2.1-2. Platform specific files of the screensaver are placed in this directory during the construction process. Copy the building.properties.sample file to a new file called build.properties. This file contains the SDK home property, and this must be set correctly. For example:

The build.xml file contains the ant build code. In order to perform a correct ant build, you must set the saverbeans.path in the build.xml file. To enable ant compilation, use:

2.2 Compiling, Debugging and Deploying

Under windows, we install the Cygwin system [Cygwin]. Using the command prompt, change directory to saverbeans_1. Type ant clean in order to remove anything left over from the last build. Type ant debug in order to compile and run the project. A frame will open, displaying the demo screensaver (a bouncing line).

In order to create a distribution, type ant dist. This step creates the dist directory containing windows specific files, ready for installation.

Install the screensaver by changing to the bouncingline-win32 folder. This directory contains three files of interest: bouncingline.jar, bouncingline.src, SaverBeans-api.jar. Copy these files into the Windows system directory. The exact location is a function of the windows version:

For Windows XP, the location is: windows/system32
For Windows 98, the location is: windows/system
For Windows NT, the location is: winnt/system

Figure 2.2-1 shows the files after deployment.

Figure 2.2-1. A Sample Windows XP Deployment

Figure 2.2-2. Setting the Screensaver

The last step is to set the screensaver to the bouncingline demo. Open the control panel and select the bouncingline screensaver in the screensaver tab. We set the time for “Wait” and apply the changes. The bouncingline screensaver is triggered automatically after the entered time has passed (given an idle machine, as shown in Figure 2.2-2.

The installation of a screensaver, in windows, requires that the user have write permission to the windows system directories. Typically, this is a non-issue, for a single users’ machine. However, in an industrial setting, this can be a showstopper.

3 IMPLEMENTATION DETAILS

3.1 Screensaver class

As part of the startup package, the code of the bouncingline screensaver is included. The code is found in the bouncingLine class located in src directory. The complete path is <startup project location>\src\java\org\jdesktop\jdic\screensaver\bouncingline.

There are a few points to notice about this class. The BouncingLine extends SimpleScreensaver, an abstract class that is part of the SaverBeans API. Developers should extend either SimpleScreensaver or JOGLScreensaver (an OpenGL screensaver that typically makes use of 3D graphics).

SimpleScreensaver declares the abstract paint method. The frame is rendered by a regular callback to the paint method. In the BouncingLine class, the paint method erases the previous painted line and draws the new line. For example:

The SimpleScreensaver class extends the abstract ScreensaverBase class [SaverBeans]. SimpleScreensaver implements the renderFrame method, which is used as a call-back method from the SaverBeans framework.

Two other callback methods include init and destroy. These are called when the screensaver starts and stops. The init method is called once, and only once, after the screensaver starts. It will not be called, for example, if screen resolutions change. Our implementation of the init method follows:

The second useful method defined in ScreensaverBase is the destroy method, which we will not need now.

3.2 Screensaver settings

The SaverBeans framework provides an XML file that is used to store screensaver properties. In the case of the bouncingLine screensaver, the file contains the following XML, located in src/bouncingline.xml:

While the use of an XML file to establish these properties seems cumbersome, it is required because of the framework. These XML files do not need to be altered, once they are established for a screensaver with a stable class name.

4 CONCLUSION

Screensavers in a heterogeneous computing environment are an enabling technology for grid computing based on cycle scavenging. The screensaver software development kit provides a framework for the construction of screensavers in Java.

The nature of the deployment and construction of the screensaver is labor intensive, error-prone and tedious. In our next article we will describe the deployment and construction of the screensaver in an Xwindows environment, under UNIX. A follow-on article will show how to create a Java-based screensaver for the Macintosh operating system using the Apple Quartz interface (as opposed to running X on the Mac). After the three platforms are described, we show how the installation of screensavers can be made nearly automatic, using Webstart technologies.

A basic limitation of the screensaver is the requirement that the user have write access to the windows systems directory. The question of how to overcome this limitation remains a topic of future work.

5 REFERENCES

[Boinc] http://boinc.berkeley.edu/ Last accessed March 14, 2005.

[Cygwin] http://www.cygwin.com Last accessed March 14, 2005.

[JDIC1] Java.net : “JDIC project home”, https://jdic.dev.java.net/ Last accessed March 14, 2005.

[JDIC2] https://jdic.dev.java.net/documentation/incubator/screensaver/index.html Last accessed March 14, 2005.

[SaverBeans] https://jdic.dev.java.net/documentation/incubator/screensaver/index.html Last accessed March 14, 2005.

[SaverScience] William L. George and Jacob Scott, “Screen Saver Science: Realizing Distributed Parallel Computing with Jini and JavaSpaces” in 2002 Conference on Parallel Architectures and Compilation Techniques (PACT2002), Charlottesville, VA, September 22-25, 2002.

About the authors

		After receiving his Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Dr. Lyon worked at AT&T Bell Laboratories. He has also worked for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. He is currently the Chairman of the Computer Engineering Department at Fairfield University, a senior member of the IEEE and President of DocJava, Inc., a consulting firm in Connecticut. E-mail Dr. Lyon at Lyon@DocJava.com. His website is http://www.DocJava.com.
		Francisco Catellanos. Earned his bachelors degree with honors in Computer Science at Western Connecticut State University. Francisco Castellanos worked at Pepsi Bottling Group in Somers, NY as a software developer. Currently he is working on a thesis to complete his Master's Degree in Computer Engineering from the Fairfield University. His research interests include grid computing. Francisco Castellanos is also employed by Access Worldwide in Boca Raton, FL as a software developer. He can be contacted at fsophisco@yahoo.com.

Cite this column as follows: Douglas Lyon and Francisco Castellanos: “The Initium RJS Screensaver: Part 1, MS Windows”, in Journal of Object Technology, vol. 5, no. 4, Mai – June 2006, pp. 7-16, http://www.jot.fm/issues/issue_2006_05/column1

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