Role of Grid Computing?

Grid Computing:-

Grid computing systems work on the principle of pooled resources. Share the load across multiple computers to complete tasks more efficiently and quickly. The grid computing concept isn't a new one. It's a special kind of distributed computing. In distributed computing, different computers within the same network share one or more resources. In the ideal grid computing system, every resource is shared, turning a computer network into a powerful supercomputer. With the right user interface, accessing a grid computing system would look no different than accessing a local machine's resources. Every authorized computer would have access to enormous processing power and storage capacity. Before going too much further, let's take a quick look at a computer's resources:

· Central processing unit (CPU): A CPU is a microprocessor that performs mathematical operations and directs data to different memory locations. Computers can have more than one CPU.

· Memory: In general, a computer's memory is a kind of temporary electronic storage. Memory keeps relevant data close at hand for the microprocessor. Without memory, the microprocessor would have to search and retrieve data from a more permanent storage device such as a hard disk drive.

· Storage: In grid computing terms, storage refers to permanent data storage devices like hard disk drives or databases.

Normally, a computer can only operate within the limitations of its own resources. There's an upper limit to how fast it can complete an operation or how much information it can store. Most computers are upgradeable, which means it's possible to add more power or capacity to a single computer, but that's still just an incremental increase in performance.

Grid computing systems link computer resources together in a way that lets someone use one computer to access and leverage the collected power of all the computers in the system. To the individual user, it's as if the user's computer has transformed into a supercomputer.

“Grid computing is a kind of High-PerformanceCcomputing (HPC), an emerging technique in which multiple computers link together to combine resources.”

Note:- Grid computing is still a developing field and is related to several other innovative computing systems, some of which are subcategories of grid computing. Shared computing usually refers to a collection of computers that share processing power in order to complete a specific task. Then there's a software-as-a-service (SaaS) system known as utility computing, in which a company offers specific services (such as data storage or increased processor power) for a metered cost. Cloud computing is a system in which applications and storage "live" on the Web rather than on a user's computer.

How Grid Computing Works:-

In general, a grid computing system requires:

· At least one computer, usually a server, which handles all the administrative duties for the system. Many people refer to this kind of computer as a control node. Other application and Web servers (both physical and virtual) provide specific services to the system.

· A network of computers running special grid computing network software. These computers act both as a point of interface for the user and as the resources the system will tap into for different applications. Grid computing systems can either include several computers of the same make running on the same operating system (called a homogeneous system) or a hodgepodge of different computers running on every operating system imaginable (a heterogeneous system). The network can be anything from a hardwired system where every computer connects to the system with physical wires to an open system where computers connect with each other over the Internet.

· A collection of computer software called middleware. The purpose of middleware is to allow different computers to run a process or application across the entire network of machines. Middleware is the workhorse of the grid computing system. Without it, communication across the system would be impossible. Like software in general, there's no single format for middleware.

If middleware is the workhorse of the grid computing system, the control node is the dispatcher. The control node must prioritize and schedule tasks across the network. It's the control node's job to determine what resources each task will be able to access. The control node must also monitor the system to make sure that it doesn't become overloaded. It's also important that each user connected to the network doesn't experience a drop in his or her computer's performance. A grid computing system should tap into unused computer resources without impacting everything else.

Overall Working:-

Control Server:-Control the Grid

Grid nodes:-A network of computers running special grid computing network software

Thin Client:-Client having no Memory/low powered PC (Existing System can also use utility

Computing services)

· Here the network must be highly reliable

· Utility Computing also use virtualization on each nodes

· Task are distributed over the grid nodes for processing

· Processed output will be sent back to the thin client/requester