Graphical Database Administration Interface
Jeffrey C. Webb
May 2006

The Graphical Database Administration Interface is a tool whose purpose is to provide an easy, intuitive and convenient means of creating and administering a relational database management system for database developers and administrators.  This tool is implemented as a Web-based application utilizing Web services architecture to implement both the client interface and the database management system server.  Specifically, the SOAP protocol is used as a means of communication between the client and the Web service.  This project demonstrates that this architecture can be used for an interface that can be created and utilized regardless of the user or the RDBMS location, operating platforms in use or RDBMS vendors involved.

When used for this purpose, this architecture provides several advantages over existing graphical applications used for managing RDBMSs.  Primarily; the same user interface can be utilized for more than one RDBMS.  Traditionally, all RDBMSs have different user interfaces for development and maintenance.  The user only has to be familiar with one application while remaining capable of administering more than one type of RDBMS.  Development and administrative operations can be performed regardless of the user’s location relative to the RDBMS.  Some of the current interface applications available will work over an HTTP connection, but not all of them.  Since the Web service is platform independent of the user interface, services can be created and used for any type of RDBMS on any operating system platform.    


Analysis of a Physical Modeling Benchmark Set
Darlene M. Banta
May 2006

The goal of this work was to produce architecture data for a benchmark set of physical modeling applications.

The applications were evaluated by a simulator on virtual hardware.  This project used the SimpleScalar Simulator from the University of Wisconsin.

I ran the simulation of the applications and evaluated the results of the simulation of the applications.  The applications were executed on the simulator with various levels of detail, application complexity.  Specifically, I studied branch prediction, cache, memory, footprint, and instruction profile for the applications.  The memory usage and program complexity was examined by tracing the computations of the simulations through the architecture.

Ideally, others will find the development and analysis of this benchmark set beneficial


Microsoft’s .NET vs. Sun’s Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition” Christopher Hundersmarck
Christopher Hundersmarck
May 2006

Microsoft .NET and Sun Microsystems’ Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition Frameworks are two of the most popular technologies in today’s Enterprise Computing.  The goal of this Masters Thesis is to both present a broad introduction to these two competitive technologies and to thoroughly analyze them and the different environments they come from.  Emphasis will be placed on presenting each framework separately and objectively, giving each a fair and thorough study in its own right.

This thesis will present a brief history of the two frameworks and then offer a high-level description of both frameworks.  Then, greater detail will be paid in the description of the individual components that make up each framework.  For example, for the development of Web Systems, Microsoft provides ASP.NET and Web Forms, while Sun Microsystems provides servlets, Java Server Pages, and Java Server Faces.  Where applicable, the author has tried not only to provide detailed descriptions of these key components but also to compare and contrast them.

Considering the popularity of theses products and the overwhelming combined market share they possess in Enterprise Computing, the topic of this thesis is not only intriguing, but controversial, to say the least.  Naturally, there have been many well-documented studies conducted in the past on this subject.  Therefore, the author will present summaries of some of these investigations, some conducted by Microsoft and Sun Microsystems, others by third parties.  In the presentation of these synopses, both sides will be presented in an objective and fair manner, thus allowing the reader to draw his or her own conclusions.

The final intent of this thesis is to draw unique observations and conclusions on this controversial topic, drawn from the authors own development experiences throughout the duration of this thesis study.  The author’s opinion will try to emphasize the unique features present within each framework and their surrounding environments, which include the tools and resources available to the software developer.

Also note, there are many terms and acronyms that are used throughout this report, and if the reader is unfamiliar with some of these concepts, this thesis can present a difficult read.  Consequently, each term will be described, and if it is known to have one, its acronym will be given.  There is also a glossary at the end of the thesis that contains every acronym and term the author feels should be defined in greater detail for the purposes of clarification.


Benchmark Set of Interactive Simulations
Brenda Aldine
May 2006

Physical modeling simulations provide insight into functioning of real world situations without the actual objects or systems, with potential goals of training, testing, and scenario planning.  Recently, computer graphics researchers and developers have created extremely sophisticated physical modeling applications.  One such example are surgical simulations, which allow students to practice what they have learned in the classroom without the risk of injuring someone in a cost- effective manner.  Alternate scenarios can be demonstrated through simulation; the normal-case situation is important, but the abnormal cases are probably more vital to the ultimate success of the student.  By altering the normal case through different simulation parameters, rare cases can be simulated.  This exposes the students to many different situations without actually testing out their skills on a real person with the potential of harming the person. 

One problem with these sophisticated physical modeling applications is the great amount of computer resources necessary due to the accuracy and detail of the simulations.  In some cases, current computer resources hinder the progress that can be in the area of physical modeling application development.  Interactivity is an important goal of many of these applications, but it cannot be attained due to the limitations of hardware and the detail and accuracy of the simulations.  Ultimately, there is a trade-off between interactivity and detail/accuracy.

Therefore, the goal of this research is to create a benchmark set of physical modeling applications and provide levels of accuracy/interactivity ranging from fast with a low amount of detail to slow with a higher amount of detail.  Using the benchmark set, the computer architectural resources required to run these simulations can be determined and specialized computer graphics hardware systems may be constructed to further the progress of physical modeling simulation.