SLA-Driven Cloud Computing Domain Representation and Management

The assurance of Quality of Service (QoS) to the applications, although identified as a key feature since long ago [1], is one of the fundamental challenges that remain unsolved. In the Cloud Computing context, Quality of Service is defined as the measure of the compliance of certain user requirement in the delivery of a cloud resource, such as CPU or memory load for a virtual machine, or more abstract and higher level concepts such as response time or availability. Several research groups, both from academia and industry, have started working on describing the QoS levels that define the conditions under which the service need to be delivered, as well as on developing the necessary means to effectively manage and evaluate the state of these conditions. [2] propose Service Level Agreements (SLAs) as the vehicle for the definition of QoS guarantees, and the provision and management of resources. A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a formal contract between providers and consumers, which defines the quality of service, the obligations and the guarantees in the delivery of a specific good. In the context of Cloud computing, SLAs are considered to be machine readable documents, which are automatically managed by the provider's platform. SLAs need to be dynamically adapted to the variable conditions of resources and applications. In a multilayer architecture, different parts of an SLA may refer to different resources. SLAs may therefore express complex relationship between entities in a changing environment, and be applied to resource selection to implement intelligent scheduling algorithms. Therefore SLAs are widely regarded as a key feature for the future development of Cloud platforms. However, the application of SLAs for Grid and Cloud systems has many open research lines. One of these challenges, the modeling of the landscape, lies at the core of the objectives of the Ph. D. Thesis.García García, A. (2014). SLA-Driven Cloud Computing Domain Representation and Management [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/36579TESI

A GRID-BASED E-LEARNING MODEL FOR OPEN UNIVERSITIES

E-learning has grown to become a widely accepted method of learning all over the world. As a result, many e-learning platforms which have been developed based on varying technologies were faced with some limitations ranging from storage capability, computing power, to availability or access to the learning support infrastructures. This has brought about the need to develop ways to effectively manage and share the limited resources available in the e-learning platform. Grid computing technology has the capability to enhance the quality of pedagogy on the e-learning platform. In this paper we propose a Grid-based e-learning model for Open Universities. An attribute of such universities is the setting up of multiple remotely located campuses within a country. The grid-based e-learning model presented in this work possesses the attributes of an elegant architectural framework that will facilitate efficient use of available e-learning resources and cost reduction, leading to general improvement of the overall quality of the operations of open universities

A Taxonomy of Workflow Management Systems for Grid Computing

With the advent of Grid and application technologies, scientists and engineers are building more and more complex applications to manage and process large data sets, and execute scientific experiments on distributed resources. Such application scenarios require means for composing and executing complex workflows. Therefore, many efforts have been made towards the development of workflow management systems for Grid computing. In this paper, we propose a taxonomy that characterizes and classifies various approaches for building and executing workflows on Grids. We also survey several representative Grid workflow systems developed by various projects world-wide to demonstrate the comprehensiveness of the taxonomy. The taxonomy not only highlights the design and engineering similarities and differences of state-of-the-art in Grid workflow systems, but also identifies the areas that need further research.Comment: 29 pages, 15 figure

Internet of Things-aided Smart Grid: Technologies, Architectures, Applications, Prototypes, and Future Research Directions

Traditional power grids are being transformed into Smart Grids (SGs) to address the issues in existing power system due to uni-directional information flow, energy wastage, growing energy demand, reliability and security. SGs offer bi-directional energy flow between service providers and consumers, involving power generation, transmission, distribution and utilization systems. SGs employ various devices for the monitoring, analysis and control of the grid, deployed at power plants, distribution centers and in consumers' premises in a very large number. Hence, an SG requires connectivity, automation and the tracking of such devices. This is achieved with the help of Internet of Things (IoT). IoT helps SG systems to support various network functions throughout the generation, transmission, distribution and consumption of energy by incorporating IoT devices (such as sensors, actuators and smart meters), as well as by providing the connectivity, automation and tracking for such devices. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive survey on IoT-aided SG systems, which includes the existing architectures, applications and prototypes of IoT-aided SG systems. This survey also highlights the open issues, challenges and future research directions for IoT-aided SG systems

Leveraging the Grid to Provide a Global Platform for Ubiquitous Computing Research

The requirement for distributed systems support for Ubicomp has led to the development of numerous platforms, each addressing a subset of the overall requirements of ubiquitous systems. In contrast, many other scientific disciplines have embraced the vision of a global distributed computing platform, i.e. the Grid. We believe that the Grid has the potential to evolve into an ideal platform for building ubiquitous computing applications. In this paper we explore in detail the areas of synergy between Grid computing and ubiquitous computing and highlight a series of research challenges in this space