Real-time Computational Engine with F#

Real-time systems require computational engines to process tasks. These engines usually are connected to data servers.

This paper presents an engine with the following properties:

• Agents-based computation (components communicate to each other through messages)
• Agents are state-machines
• Agents communicate in an asynchronous mode
• Waiting agents don’t block computer treads (asynchronous programming)
• Engines live in an interactive environment
• Engines of agents are distributed allowing messages from remote locations

The advantages of this implementation are:

• Agents can be created, modified and ended without requiring restarting the process.
• Uses F# interactive environment (Read, Evaluate, Print Loop (REPL). This allows interaction and modification of agents without stopping the process.
• Remote clients can send messages to the engine’s agents including creating and ending agents.
• Remote clients can use several communication protocols, available in WCF, to communicate with the engine including pipes, TCP and HTTP.
• Asynchronous programming provides great performance and scalability.

Check the the full paper at skydrive.