A theoretical and computational basis for CATNETS

The main content of this report is the identification and definition of market mechanisms for Application Layer Networks (ALNs). On basis of the structured Market Engineering process, the work comprises the identification of requirements which adequate market mechanisms for ALNs have to fulfill. Subsequently, two mechanisms for each, the centralized and the decentralized case are described in this document. These build the theoretical foundation for the work within the following two years of the CATNETS project. --Grid Computing

Theoretical and Computational Basis for Economical Ressource Allocation in Application Layer Networks - Annual Report Year 1

This paper identifies and defines suitable market mechanisms for Application Layer Networks (ALNs). On basis of the structured Market Engineering process, the work comprises the identification of requirements which adequate market mechanisms for ALNs have to fulfill. Subsequently, two mechanisms for each, the centralized and the decentralized case are described in this document. --Grid Computing

Rational bidding using reinforcement learning: an application in automated resource allocation

The application of autonomous agents by the provisioning and usage of computational resources is an attractive research field. Various methods and technologies in the area of artificial intelligence, statistics and economics are playing together to achieve i) autonomic resource provisioning and usage of computational resources, to invent ii) competitive bidding strategies for widely used market mechanisms and to iii) incentivize consumers and providers to use such market-based systems. The contributions of the paper are threefold. First, we present a framework for supporting consumers and providers in technical and economic preference elicitation and the generation of bids. Secondly, we introduce a consumer-side reinforcement learning bidding strategy which enables rational behavior by the generation and selection of bids. Thirdly, we evaluate and compare this bidding strategy against a truth-telling bidding strategy for two kinds of market mechanisms – one centralized and one decentralized

Strategic negotiation models for grid scheduling

One of the key requirements for Grid infrastructures is the ability to share resources with nontrivial qualities of service. However, resource management in a decentralized infrastructure is a complex task as it has to cope with di erent policies and objectives of the di erent resource providers and the resource users. This problem is further complicated due to the diversity of the resource types and the heterogeneity of their local resource management systems. Agreement-based resource management can be used to address these issues because in the negotiation process of creating such bilateral service level agreements (SLAs) between Grid parties, the di erent polices of the resource providers and the users will be abstracted and observed. Such negotiation processes should be automated with no or minimal human interaction, considering the potential scale of Grid systems and the amount of necessary transactions. Therefore, strategic negotiation models play important roles. In this thesis, we have made several novel research contributions which are as follows: - An agreement based resource management approach is analyzed. Requirements for the automatic negotiation problems in Grid computing are introduced. Furthermore, related work in the areas of economics and agent communities are investigated. - Several negotiation models and negotiation strategies are proposed and examined. Simulation results demonstrate that these proposed negotiation models are suitable and e ective for Grid environments. - Firstly, a strategic negotiation model using time-based negotiation strategies is proposed and evaluated using discrete event based simulation techniques. - Secondly, time-based negotiation strategies are quite limited in the dynamically changing Grid environment because they are quite simple and static; so learning based negotiation strategies are investigated and evaluated, which are quite exible and e ective in the dynamically changing Grid environment. Also we adopted negotiation strategies considering opportunistic functions for Grid scheduling. - Thirdly, it is usually necessary that resources from di erent resource providers are co-allocated to satisfy the complex requirements of the users, so a strategic negotiation model supporting co-allocation and the tradeo between "first" and "best" agreements in the Grid computing is also proposed and evaluated. - Finally, the contributions of the current research work to the WSNegotiation protocol are analyzed

Q-Strategy: A Bidding Strategy for Market-Based Allocation of Grid Services

The application of autonomous agents by the provisioning and usage of computational services is an attractive research field. Various methods and technologies in the area of artificial intelligence, statistics and economics are playing together to achieve i) autonomic service provisioning and usage of Grid services, to invent ii) competitive bidding strategies for widely used market mechanisms and to iii) incentivize consumers and providers to use such market-based systems. The contributions of the paper are threefold. First, we present a bidding agent framework for implementing artificial bidding agents, supporting consumers and providers in technical and economic preference elicitation as well as automated bid generation by the requesting and provisioning of Grid services. Secondly, we introduce a novel consumer-side bidding strategy, which enables a goal-oriented and strategic behavior by the generation and submission of consumer service requests and selection of provider offers. Thirdly, we evaluate and compare the Q-strategy, implemented within the presented framework, against the Truth-Telling bidding strategy in three mechanisms – a centralized CDA, a decentralized on-line machine scheduling and a FIFO-scheduling mechanisms

Evaluation and metrics framework

In this paper a metrics framework for evaluating different scenarios in the CATNETS project is defined. The aim is to use this framework to compare the catallactic scenario against the central auctioneer. --Grid Computing

Preliminary specification and design documentation for software components to achieve catallaxy in computational systems

This Report is about the preliminary specifications and design documentation for software components to achieve Catallaxy in computational systems. -- Die Arbeit beschreibt die Spezifikation und das Design von Softwarekomponenten, um das Konzept der Katallaxie in Grid Systemen umzusetzen. Eine Einführung ordnet das Konzept der Katallaxie in bestehende Grid Taxonomien ein und stellt grundlegende Komponenten vor. Anschließend werden diese Komponenten auf ihre Anwendbarkeit in bestehenden Application Layer Netzwerken untersucht.Grid Computing