GRIDKIT: Pluggable overlay networks for Grid computing

A `second generation' approach to the provision of Grid middleware is now emerging which is built on service-oriented architecture and web services standards and technologies. However, advanced Grid applications have significant demands that are not addressed by present-day web services platforms. As one prime example, current platforms do not support the rich diversity of communication `interaction types' that are demanded by advanced applications (e.g. publish-subscribe, media streaming, peer-to-peer interaction). In the paper we describe the Gridkit middleware which augments the basic service-oriented architecture to address this particular deficiency. We particularly focus on the communications infrastructure support required to support multiple interaction types in a unified, principled and extensible manner-which we present in terms of the novel concept of pluggable overlay networks

Evaluating the Performance of Skeleton-Based High Level Parallel Programs

We show in this paper how to evaluate the performance of skeleton-based high level parallel programs. Since many applications follow some commonly used algorithmic skeletons, we identify such skeletons and model them with process algebra in order to get relevant information about the performance of the application, and be able to take some "good" scheduling decisions. This concept is illustrated through the case study of the Pipeline skeleton, and a tool which generates automatically a set of models and solves them is presented. Some numerical results are provided, proving the efficiency of this approach

Deploying CORBA components on a computational grid: General principles and early experiments using the Globus Toolkit

Abstract. The deployment of high bandwidth wide-area networks has led computational grids to offer a very powerful computing resource. In particular, this inherently distributed resource is well-suited for multiphysics applications. To face the complexity of such applications, the software component technology appears to be a very adequate programming model. However, to take advantage of the computational power of grids, component-based applications should be automatically deployed in computational grids. Based on the Corba component specifications for the deployment of components, which seem to currently be the most complete, this paper proposes a detailed process for component deployment in computational grids. It also reports on early experiments on deploying Corba components in a computational grid using the Globus Toolkit 2.4.

A software component model with spatial and temporal compositions for Grid infrastructures

International audienceGrids are very complex and volatile infrastructures that exhibit parallel and distributed characteristics. To harness their complexity as well as the increasing intricacy of scientific applications, modern software engineering practices are needed. As of today, two major programming models dominate: software component models that are mainly based on a spatial composition and service oriented models with their associated workflow languages promoting a temporal composition. This paper tends to unify these two forms of composition into a coherent spatio-temporal software component model while keeping their benefits. To attest the validity of the proposed approach, we describe how the Grid Component model, as defined by the CoreGRID Network of Excellence, and the Askalon-AGWL workflow language have been adapted

Deep middleware for the divergent grid

Next-generation Grid applications will be highly heterogeneous in nature, will run on many types of computer and device, will operate within and across many heterogeneous network types, and must be explicitly configurable and runtime reconfigurable. We refer to this future Grid environment as the "divergent Grid". In this paper, we propose a "deep middleware" approach to meeting key requirements of the divergent Grid. Deep middleware reaches down into the network to provide highly flexible network support that underpins a rich, extensible and reconfigurable set of application-level "interaction paradigms" (such as publish-subscribe, multicast, tuple spaces etc.). In our Gridkit middleware platform, these facilities are encapsulated in two key component frameworks: the interaction framework and the overlay framework, which are the subject of this paper. The paper also evaluates the two frameworks in terms of their configurability (e.g. ability to be profiled for different device types) and reconfigurability (e.g. to self-optimise as the environment changes)