Kousalya G., Balakrishnan P., Raj C.P. Automated Workflow Scheduling in Self-Adaptive Clouds. Concepts, Algorithms and Methods

Springer, 2017. — 238 p.Enterprise-class software applications are steadily embracing the cloud idea in order to succulently reap all the originally envisaged cloud benefits. Due to the on-demand utility and elastic nature of virtualized and containerized infrastructures that are the real hallmark of any cloud environments (private, public, and hybrid), scores of mission-critical workloads are being accordingly modernized (cloud-enabled) and migrated to cloud environments to be delivered with all alacrity and authentication to worldwide clients and consumers. On the other hand, of late, there are cloud-native applications gaining prominence. There are business, technical, embedded, social, operational, transactional, and analytical applications efficiently running on cloud hosts. The cloud paradigm is definitely on the fast track. That is, we are all set to experience software-defined cloud environments in the days ahead. Precisely speaking, clouds emerge as the one-stop IT solution for hosting, delivering, billing, monitoring, measuring, managing, and maintaining all kinds of simple as well as complex workloads.
This book is all about expressing and exposing the various automated workflow scheduling algorithms and approaches for various process-centric cloud-based applications. Workflow is typically described by a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) in which each computational task is represented by nodes and each data/ control dependency between tasks is annotated through edges that intrinsically connect nodes. Workflow scheduling is therefore recognized as one of the most vital requirements for hosting workflow-centric applications in cloud environments. There are quality of service (QoS) constraints such as the timeliness, throughput, minimal cost, minimal makespan and maximal resource utilization, etc. The other widely articulated and accentuated challenge is the efficient resource utilization and optimizing the total execution time (makespan) of the workflow.
Having understood the intricacies of workflow applications and the state-of-the-art workflow/task/job scheduling algorithms, the authors of this comprehensive yet compact book have clearly detailed the enterprise-grade software applications and their scheduling needs in cloud environments. This book covers most of the topics that are needed for cloud consultants, architects, and administrators. The cloud service providers (CSPs) across the globe are leveraging a variety of scheduling algorithms in order to enhance resource utilization of highly virtualized IT environments for bringing down the cloud operational costs. This book is a must for professionals who are Manning next-generation software-defined cloud environments. Finally, research students, scholars, and scientists are bound to be benefited immensely through this book.Stepping into the Digital Intelligence Era
Demystifying the Traits of Software-Defined Cloud Environments (SDCEs)
Workflow Management Systems
Workflow Scheduling Algorithms and Approaches
Workflow Modeling and Simulation Techniques
Execution of Workflow Scheduling in Cloud Middleware
Workflow Predictions Through Operational Analytics and Machine Learning
Workflow Integration and Orchestration, Opportunities and the Challenges
Workload Consolidation Through Automated Workload Scheduling
Automated Optimization Methods for Workflow Execution
The Hybrid IT, the Characteristics and Capabilities