An introduction to SLX

ABSTRACT

This paper provides introduction to SLX (Henriksen, 1993) for readers who are already familiar with simulation. Comparisons with GPSS/H (Banks, Carson and Sy, 1989; Henriksen and Crain, 1989; Schriber, 1991; and Smith, Brunner and Crain, 1992) are used to provide a frame of reference for describing SLX features. The goal of the SLX project is to produce a simulation system which provides a multiplicity of layers, ranging from the SLX kernel, at the bottom, all the way up to layers which provide graphical model building "without programming." In this paper, only the "lower" layers of SLX are described. Accordingly, this paper will perhaps be of greater interest to simulation software package developers than to end users of simulation software. Six key concepts which underlie the SLX kernel are presented, and SLX's extensibility mechanisms, which facilitate the construction of higher layers from lower layers, are illustrated.

REFERENCES

• 1: Banks, J,, J.S. Carson II, and J.N. Sy. 1989. Getting started with GPSS/H. Annandale, VA: Wolverine Software Corporation.
• 2: James O. Henriksen, SLX, the successor to GPSS/H, Proceedings of the 25th conference on Winter simulation, p.263-268, December 12-15, 1993, Los Angeles, California, United States [doi>10.1145/256563.256645]
• 3: Henriksen, J.O., and R.C. Crain. 1989. GPSS/H reference manual, third edition. Annandale, VA: Wolverine Software Corporation.
• 4: Thomas J. Schriber, An introduction to simulation using GPSS/H, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, 1991
• 5: Douglas S. Smith , Daniel T. Brunner , Robert C. Crain, Building a simulator with GPSS/H, Proceedings of the 24th conference on Winter simulation, p.357-360, December 13-16, 1992, Arlington, Virginia, United States [doi>10.1145/167293.167375]

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.4 OPERATING SYSTEMS
      D.4.8 Performance
          Subjects: Simulation

Additional Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.6 MANAGEMENT OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS

General Terms:
Design, Management, Performance