Linking two multiprocessors together in parallel

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Nathan S7 asked Mar 3, '20 tannerp answered Mar 3, '20

Linking two multiprocessors together in parallel

I would like to have a multiprocessor share its current state with another machine that would be operating in parallel. This way, proper tracking of utilzation can be done for the process as a whole. To do this, On State Change has been used as a trigger to update the resource of the secondary multiprocessor with the following code, where token_ref.EquipmentResource is a pointer to a resource:

Object equipment = token_ref.EquipmentResource;
equipment2.setState(toState);

The proper triggers are hit, but bizarre behavior occurs with the secondary resource. The sequence of states goes as such:

1. Object enters to be processed: Equipment 1 - waiting for operator, Equipment 2 - waiting for operator

2. Operator arrives: Equipment 1 - processing, Equipment 2 - idle

3. First process is finished: Equipment 1 - processing, Equipment 2 - processing

4. Second process is finished: Equipment 1 - processing, Equipment 2 - busy?

Software Version:

FlexSim 20.0.2

multiprocessor onstatechange

Answer 1 · 2020-03-03T20:59:42Z

tannerp answered Mar 3, '20

Hi @Nathan S7,

I'm not sure the best way to look at parallel processes like this because listening to the states doesn't necessarily mean that their behavior will be the same. Instead of changing just the state, I recommend actually stopping/starting the processors when their states change. I've created a small example of what I mean that uses Process Flow to trigger the stop/start of one processor based on the behavior of the other processor. By doing it this way, you know that the processing times and everything should match up. In the example, only Processor1 is part of the MTBF/MTTR, meaning that Processor2 is strictly listening to Processor1 and nothing else is causing its downtime. Hopefully this makes sense and helps with what you're doing.

If I'm off-base and you're looking for something different, maybe you could upload the model you're working with (or a sample) that would give us a better idea of the logic you're going after. Thanks!

processor-listening.fsm

processor-listening.fsm (127.8 KiB)

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