The Kestrel interface for submitting optimization problems to the NEOS Server augments the established e-mail, socket, and web interfaces by enabling easy usage of remote solvers from a local modeling environment.
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Problem generation, including the run-time detection of syntax errors, occurs on the local machine using any available modeling language facilities. Finding a solution to the problem takes place on a remote machine, with the result returned in the native modeling language format for further processing. A byproduct of the Kestrel interface is the ability to solve multiple problems generated by a modeling language in parallel.
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This mechanism is used, for example, in the GAMS/AMPL solver available through the NEOS Server, which internally translates a submitted GAMS problem into AMPL. The resulting AMPL problem is then solved through the NEOS Server via the Kestrel interface. An advantage of this design is that the GAMS to AMPL translator does not need to be collocated with the AMPL solver used, removing restrictions on solver choice and reducing administrative costs.
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This talk is joint work with Elizabeth Dolan.