Grid ComputingGrid ComputingBy Michele McCoy

What is it?What is it?

Grid Computing can be defined as applying resources from many computers in a network to a single problem, usually one that requires a large number of processing cycles or access to large amounts of data.

What????What????Imagine a lot of computers, let's say millions. They are desktop PCs and workstations, mainframes and supercomputers, but also data vaults and instruments such as meteorological sensors and visualization devices.

Imagine they are situated all over the world. Obviously, they belong to many different people (students, doctors, secretaries…) and institutions (companies, universities, hospitals…).

So far you have imagined nothing new. This is pretty much what the world looks like today.

Now imagine that you connect all of these computers to the Internet. Still not much new, most of them are probably connected already.

Now imagine that you have a magic tool which makes all of them act as a single, huge and powerful computer. Wow!

A company can not access that many sources OR

CAN IT?

A company can not access that many sources OR

CAN IT?

A company with slightly fewer than 2,000 desktop computers can harvest nearly 1 teraflop (one trillion floating-point operations per second) of computing capacity. Even better, the company can capture that power from computers it already owns that sit idle at night and work at less than full capacity during the day.

How did it all begin?How did it all begin?

• Started as a form of distributed computing.

• The ideas of the Grid were brought together by Ian Foster, Carl Kesselman and Steve Tuecke, the so called "fathers of the Grid."

What Resources are shared:What Resources are shared:

Can be much more than just computers:

• Storage

• Sensors for experiments at particular sites in the grid

• Application Software

• Databases

How it works(simplified)

How it works(simplified)

Resource3

Grid Computing

Grid Computing

Company

Resource2

Resource1

Resource5

Resource4

How it works(detailed)

How it works(detailed)

Why would a company want to use it?Why would a company want to use it?

Features and Benefits for a company

• Time to market

• Increase quality/reliability and add features

• Harness all available resources

• Flexible, scalable compute environment

• Ability to use lower cost commodity hardware

• Do things you couldn't do before

Why would anyone want to lend their computer?

Why would anyone want to lend their computer?

• Some just like to feel that they are participating in finding ET.

• Or they may feel strongly for a company or problem that a company is trying to solve.

• Or maybe they are just curious.

What are its benefits overall?What are its benefits overall?

It offers the potential of virtual organizations – groups of people both geographically and

organizationally distributed working together on problems, sharing computers AND other resources such as databases and experimental equipment.

ExamplesExamples

• In the Beginning: In Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (www.seti.com)

• Now: Save women’s lives (Using the power of the grid to more accurately detect breast cancer)

Disadvantages for companiesDisadvantages for companies

Enlist a higher

quality of components

Enlist a higher

quality of components

Have a secure environment

Have a secure environment

Have Virus

Protection

Have Virus

Protection

VirusesViruses HackersHackers Inadequate Equipment

Inadequate Equipment

Disadvantages if you are lending your computer

Disadvantages if you are lending your computer

1. Viruses1. Viruses

2. Hackers 2. Hackers

3. Application Failure 3. Application Failure

4. Hardware Failure 4. Hardware Failure

Grid OrganizationsGrid Organizations• Global Grid Forum (GGF):

– www.globalgridforum.org– a community-initiated forum of thousands of

individuals from industry and research leading the global standardization effort for grid computing. 

• The Globus Alliance: – www.globus.org– conducts research and development to create

fundamental technologies behind the "Grid," which lets people share computing power, databases, and other on-line tools securely across corporate, institutional, and geographic boundaries without sacrificing local autonomy.

Grid computing is the information technology infrastructure

of the future

Questions Questions Questions Questions

Reference SitesReference Sites

• http://www.globus.org/research/papers/anatomy.pdf

• http://www.globus.org/research/papers/ogsa.pdf

• http://www.globus.org/research/papers.html

• www.seti.org