GRID COMPUTING

Grid computing

Outline

The outline of this paper is as follows;

Abstract3

Introduction4

Discussion4

Conclusion11

References13

Bibliography14

Abstract

The research seminar report is focused on an emergent technology called Grid Computing. Grid technology uses divide-and-conquer tactics to distribute computationally intensive tasks among any number of separate computers for parallel processing. It allows unused CPU capacity - including, in some cases, the downtime between a user's keystrokes - to be used in solving large computational problems. The report is divided into three parts, which are what is Grid, what is rationale of Grid. And then discuss the present and the future of Grid Technology.

Introduction

Grid computing (or the use of computational grids) is the application of several computers to a single problem at the same time — usually to a scientific or technical problem that requires a great number of computer processing cycles or access to large amounts of data. One of the main grid computing strategies is to use software to divide and apportion pieces of a program among several computers, (Smith, 2005, 18) sometimes up to many thousands. Grid computing can also be thought of as distributed [citation needed] and large-scale cluster computing, as well as a form of network-distributed parallel processing. It can be small — confined to a network of computer workstations within a corporation, for example — or it can be a large, public collaboration across many companies or networks.

Discussion

It is a form of distributed computing whereby a “super and virtual computer” is composed of a cluster of networked, loosely coupled computers, acting in concert to perform very large tasks. This technology has been applied to computationally intensive scientific, mathematical, and academic problems through volunteer computing, (Smith, 2005, 18) and it is used in commercial enterprises for such diverse applications as drug discovery, economic forecasting, seismic analysis, and back-office data processing in support of e-commerce and Web services.

What distinguishes grid computing from conventional cluster computing systems is that grids tend to be more loosely coupled, heterogeneous, and geographically dispersed. Also, while a computing grid may be dedicated to a specialized application, it is often constructed with the aid of general-purpose grid software libraries and middleware. (Smith, 2005, 18)

Grid computing is an emerging computing model that provides the ability to perform higher throughput computing by taking advantage of many networked computers to model a virtual computer architecture that is able to distribute process execution across a parallel infrastructure. Grids use the resources of many separate computers connected by a network (usually the Internet) to solve large-scale computation problems. Grids provide the ability to perform computations on large data sets, by breaking them down into many smaller ones, or provide the ability to perform many more computations at once than would be possible on a single computer, by modeling a parallel division of labor between processes. Sometimes it's easier to start defining Grid computing by telling you what it isn't. For instance: It's not artificial intelligence, it's not some kind of advanced networking technology. It's also not some kind of science-fictional panacea to cure all of our technology ...