20 Dec 2010 2 Comments

Piping Design in the Cloud

Cloud Computing and Plant Design.

Cloud computing is here and promises to change the landscape of how we do business. The name “Cloud Computing” means all the computing calculations and transactions happen not on our local workstations but out on the internet. This means we will no longer limited by our computing hardware and the only thing we now need, is an internet connection. Some people refer to this as “Infinite Computing” because of the virtually limitless computing power possibilities.

Software as a Service (SaaS) – a bi-product of cloud computing is also on the horizon and also a total game changer. Software as a Service means that instead of having to install software locally, it is more like a web page that you open and use as you need it, from anywhere.

For example: Let’s say you have to pop into..I don’t know…AutoCAD for example. Instead of sitting down at your computer and opening your own AutoCAD application, you now open up a web page, use the application as you need it, and then hop out. No more having to worry about hardware requirements, software updates, uninstalls/reinstalls, upgrades…you name it. They are taking all the hassle out of it allowing you to access your apps anywhere. You now have instant scalability with a “pay as you go” pricing model.

There are huge changes on the horizon for how we administer software.

The Good: Imagine that your computers hardware limitations are no longer an issue. You are about to hop into a design review session on a computer with 16 processors and 32 video cards. All you do is click an icon, the models load in seconds, and everything is running at 30 frames per second. Imagine running clash detection on 11,000 piperuns and getting the results back 20 seconds after you send the data. Imagine real time stress analysis as you design. Let your imagination run with it, that’s what the cloud brings.

At a large EPC firm I know about. They are rigorously testing a system that runs entirely in the cloud. It creates a fresh “image” each time a user logs in. If you’re having an issue with the software all you have to do is simply log out and log back in. Poof, a brand new image is ready for you in 30 seconds. In this case an “image” is a fresh installation of the OS and software as well as any necessary customization. This also means that if you install yahoo messenger, or anything else for that matter – it will be gone the next time you log in. What does this mean to you?

You won’t have to worry about downtime for your project. Issues will be resolved in seconds without having to deal with delays like help desk tickets, arrogant admins, or PM’s breathing down your neck. Simply reboot, and you have a fresh install of all your software. Or at least the software that the company wants you have. There will no longer be witch hunts for video cards that support X and memory errors will be a thing of that past. (You will also not be able to blame the computer anymore )

A good example of cloud computing that you can check out right now is Autodesk Labs Project Neon. You can render your .dwg with a camera and light simply by uploading it to that site. It’s confidential and FREE.

We are on the precipice of a exciting, revolutionary shift in how we do personal computing. I am excited to see where it can take us.

by dave in News, Plant Software Tags: cloud, computing, design, infinite, plant