Grid Computing

A computing model that uses the resources of many separate computers connected by a network (usually the internet) to solve large-scale computation problems.

Grid computing offers a model for solving massive computational problems by making use of the unused resources (CPU cycles and/or disk storage) of large numbers of disparate, often desktop, computers treated as a virtual cluster embedded in a distributed telecommunications infrastructure. Grid computing's focus on the ability to support computation across administrative domains sets it apart from traditional computer clusters or traditional distributed computing. Grid computing has the design goal of solving problems too big for any single supercomputer, whilst retaining the flexibility to work on multiple smaller problems. Thus Grid computing provides a multi-user environment. Its secondary aims are better exploitation of available computing power and catering for the intermittent demands of large computational exercises.

Functionally, one can classify Grids into several types:

Computational Grids (including CPU scavenging Grids) which focuses primarily on computationally-intensive operations

Data Grids or the controlled sharing and management of large amounts of distributed data

Equipment Grids which have a primary piece of equipment e.g. a telescope, and where the surrounding Grid is used to control the equipment remotely and to analyse the data produced.

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