This work presents transparent checkpointing of OpenGL applications, refining the split-process technique[1] for application in GPU-based 3D graphics. The split-process technique was earlier applied to checkpointing MPI and CUDA programs, enabling reinitialization of driver libraries. The presented design targets practical, checkpoint-package agnostic checkpointing of OpenGL applications. An early prototype is demonstrated on Autodesk Maya. Maya is a complex proprietary media-creation software suite used with large-scale rendering hardware for CGI (Computer-Generated Animation). Transparent checkpointing of Maya provides critically-needed fault tolerance, since Maya is prone to crash when artists use some of its bleeding-edge components. Artists then lose hours of work in re-creating their complex environment.
@article{arxiv.2103.04916,
title = {Transparent Checkpointing for OpenGL Applications on GPUs},
author = {David Hou and Jun Gan and Yue Li and Younes El Idrissi Yazami and Twinkle Jain},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2103.04916},
year = {2021}
}