Constantinescu Z. (ed.) Advances in Grid Computing

InTech, 2011. — 284 p.During the last decades we have been experiencing the historic evolution of Information and Communication Technology’s integration into our society to the point that many times people use it transparently. As we become able to do more and more with our advanced technologies, and as we hide them and their complexities completely from their users, we will have accomplished the envisioned magic desideratum that any advanced technology must fulfill in Arthur Clarke’s vision. Internet has enabled a major breakthrough, not so long ago, when its standards and technologies provided for near-universal connectivity, broad access to content, and, consequently, for a new model for science, engineering, education, business, and life itself. That development has been extraordinary in many respects, and, the Grid is expected to continue this momentous evolution toward fulfilling of Licklider’s vision of man-computer symbiosis and intergalactic network that enable people and computers to cooperate in making decisions and controlling complex situations without inflexible dependence on predetermined programs.
Grid Computing is a model of distributed computing that uses geographically and administratively distinct resources that can be reached over the network: processing power, storage capacity, specific data, input and output devices, etc. Foster’s canonical definition of Grid states that it is a system that coordinates distributed resources using standard, open, general-purpose protocols and interfaces to deliver nontrivial qualities of service. In grid computing, individual users can access computers and data transparently, without having to consider location, operating system, account administration, and other details, which are abstracted from the users. Grid computing aims to achieve a secured, controlled and flexible sharing of virtualized resources among various dynamically created virtual organizations. However, the construction of an application that may benefit from advantages of grid computing, i.e. faster execution speed, connecting of geographically separated resources, interoperation of software, and so on, typically requires the installation of complex supporting software, and, moreover, an in-depth knowledge of how this software works.Part
1. Resource and Data Management.
Application of Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization for Grid Task Scheduling Problem.
A Framework for Problem-Specific QoS Based Scheduling in Grids.
Grid-JQA: A QoS Guided Scheduling Algorithm for Grid Computing.
Autonomic Network-Aware Metascheduling for Grids: A Comprehensive Evaluation.
Quantum Encrypted Data Transfers in GRID.
Data Consolidation and Information Aggregation in Grid Networks.
Part
2. Grid Architectures and Development.
A GPU Accelerated High Performance Cloud Computing Infrastructure for Grid Computing Based Virtual Environmental Laboratory.
Using Open-source Desktop Grids in Scientific Computing and Visualization.
Security in the Development Process of Mobile Grid Systems.
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3. Grid Enabled Applications.
Grid Computing for Artificial Intelligence.
Grid Computing for Fusion Research.
A Grid Enabled Framework for Ubiquitous Healthcare Service Provisioning.
The Porting of Wargi-DSS to Grid Computing Environment for Drought Plans in Complex Water Systems.