What is a Grid?
Ian Foster wrote an article to address this question. It is called “What is the Grid? A Three Point Checklist”, and it is among the many overview papers available in the research papers section of this website. In this paper, Dr. Foster proposes (and explains) the following definition. A Grid is a system that coordinates resources that are not subject to centralized control using standard, open, general-purpose protocols and interfaces to deliver nontrivial qualities of service.
Grid computing is a way of connecting computing resources to share their computing power. Computer grids allow access to computing resources from many different locations, just as the World Wide Web allows access to information. These computing resources include data storage capacity, computing power, sensors, visualization tools and much, much more. Using a grid, someone sitting at one computer can harness the combined capabilities of hundreds and thousands of computers, providing researchers with the extra power to make faster progress in their work. How do grids work? Grids use networks to link the computing resources of many different computers. The cyber-glue that binds all of these resources together is called “middleware.” There are many different types of middleware, developed for many different types of grid. Middleware does all the work to connect users’ jobs to computing resources, thereby hiding the grid’s complexity from the user. Why do grids matter? Grids allow you to co
