Grid

Synonyms

Computational grid; Computational infrastructure; Data grid

Definition

Grid computing is a model for organizing large-scale computation and data management such that process execution tasks are distributed across many network computers, and data transmission occurs over high-speed parallel network connections, in a system that resembles parallel computer architecture. Grids rely on “resource virtualization”, that is, organize different locally-managed processing and data nodes as relatively homogeneous “grid resources” that follow open standards and enable quality of service through resource sharing and service-level agreements.

Main Text

Grid computing is defined via a series of specifications being developed within the Open Grid Forum (OGF), a collaboration between industry and academia. Globus Toolkit is a middleware component implementing OGF standards. Initial ideas of grids, and grid service specifications, have been explored in seminal articles by Ian Foster, Carl...