gridlabd_remote.py

Description and Purpose:

This program allows for users without gridlabd configured on their machines to easily and quickly run
a test on a .glm or .xml file using an Amazon ec2 instance loaded with a pre-configured gridlabd AMI.
The program will launch an ec2 instance if no previous instances loaded with the gridlabd public AMI are
found. The program will then copy over all necessary files from a specified directory to the remote
instance, run the gridlabd simulation on those files, and copy the resulting files back from the remote
instance to the local server.

The purpose of this program is to allow users who want to run a quick simulation using gridlabd the
ability to do so without going through the entire gridlabd setup procedure. Additionally, the user could
use the gridlabd_AMI ("ami-c5a1ac80") to launch and use their own instance from scratch without use of
this program.

Usage:

>>python gridlabd_remote.py {gridlabd file directory} {gridlabd test file (.glm or .xml)}

{gridlabd file directory}: a gridlabd file may rely on several files (such as schedules, weather files), so all necessary files should be included in a single directory, which will be copied over to the remote instance.

{gridlabd test file}: the gridlabd .glm or .xml test file to be run on the remote instance (loacated inside the gridlabd file directory)

Setup:

• Install python (most likely already installed)
• pip install boto
• download "gridlabd_remote.py" and "configuration.py" files and place in same directory
• create a directory ".aws" in your home directory (~/.aws)
• create a file "credentials" in this directory and fill with the following 3 lines (don't include curly braces { or } in actual file):

[default]
aws_access_key_id = {ACCESS KEY ID}
aws_secret_access_key = {SECRET ACCESS KEY}

For more information on this credentials file and on how to find your ACCESS KEY ID and SECRET ACCESS
KEY, see https://aws.amazon.com/articles/Python/3998

• run the program

To change details such as the save location of keys, the size of the instance, and the ami used to
load the instance, open up configuration.py. Realize that if an instance is running with the gridlabd
AMI and the KEY_PATH changes, the keys file should be moved to the new directory as well. Non-free
instances should be stopped if not to be used for a long period of time. Instances can be seen and
edited in the EC2 Management Console, like any other instance.

[Pedram Jahangiri]

Hi,

Where are the "gridlabd_remote.py" and "configuration.py" files?

Thanks,
Pedram