A Low-cost Multicomputer for solving the RCPSP

In the paper it is shown that time necessary to solve the NP-hard Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling Problem (RCPSP) could be considerably reduced using a low-cost multicomputer. We consider an extension of the problem when resources are only partially available and a deadline is given but the cost of the project should be minimized. In such a case nding an acceptable solution (optimal or even semi-optimal) is computationally very hard. To reduce this complexity a distributed processing model of a metaheuristic algorithm, previously adapted by us for working with human resources and the CCPM method, was developed. Then, a new implementation of the model on a low-cost multicomputer built from PCs connected through a local network was designed and compared with regular implementation of the model on a cluster. Furthermore, to examine communication costs, an implementation of the model on a single multi-core PC was tested, too. The comparative studies proved that the implementation is as ecient as on more expensive cluster. Moreover, it has balanced load and scales well.