Introduction to Grid Computing

A thorough overview of the next generation in computing, this concise guide explores state-of-the-art grid projects, core grid technologies, and applications of the grid. It covers virtual organizations, scheduling algorithms, fault tolerance strategies, grid workflow management systems, and security technologies. The authors present several grid middlewares adopted in scientific applications, explain the mechanisms behind well-known grid projects, and apply the Monte Carlo method and PDEs to industrial problems in finance and computational mechanics. They also describe the components and installation of Globus Toolkits 4.0 and gLite.

A Thorough Overview of the Next Generation in Computing

Poised to follow in the footsteps of the Internet, grid computing is on the verge of becoming more robust and accessible to the public in the near future. Focusing on this novel, yet already powerful, technology, Introduction to Grid Computing explores state-of-the-art grid projects, core grid technologies, and applications of the grid.

After comparing the grid with other distributed systems, the book covers two important aspects of a grid system: scheduling of jobs and resource discovery and monitoring in grid. It then discusses existing and emerging security technologies, such as WS-Security and OGSA security, as well as the functions of grid middleware at a conceptual level. The authors also describe famous grid projects, demonstrate the pricing of European options through the use of the Monte Carlo method on grids, and highlight different parallelization possibilities on the grid.

Taking a tutorial approach, this concise book provides a complete introduction to the components of the grid architecture and applications of grid computing. It expertly shows how grid computing can be used in various areas, from computational mechanics to risk management in financial institutions.