Grid computing involves sharing tasks across multiple computers, creating a virtual supercomputer. It originated from Ian Foster, Carl Kesselman, and Steve Tuecke’s toolkit for compute management. Grids are flexible and can be used for different types of grids. Unlike cluster computing, there is no centralized management, and computers in a grid can perform non-network-related tasks.
Grid computing is the act of sharing tasks across multiple computers. Tasks can range from data archiving to complex calculations and can be spread over large geographical distances. In some cases, computers within a grid are used normally and act as part of the grid only when not in use. These grids reclaim unused cycles on any computer they can access, to complete certain projects. SETI@home is perhaps one of the best-known grid computing projects, and a number of other organizations rely on volunteers who offer to add their computers to a grid.
These computers come together to create a virtual supercomputer. Networked computers can work on the same problems traditionally reserved for supercomputers, yet this network of computers is more powerful than the supercomputers built in the 1970s and 1980s. Modern supercomputers are built on the principles of grid computing, incorporating many smaller computers into a larger whole.
The idea of grid computing originated with Ian Foster, Carl Kesselman and Steve Tuecke. They came together to develop a toolkit to handle compute management, data movement, storage management, and other infrastructure that can handle large grids without limiting yourself to specific hardware and requirements. The technique is also exceptionally flexible.
Grid computing techniques can be used to create very different types of grids, adding flexibility and power by using the resources of multiple machines. An equipment grid will use a grid to control a piece of equipment, such as a telescope, as well as to analyze the data collected by the equipment. A data grid, however, will mostly handle large amounts of information, while allowing users to share access.
Grid computing is similar to cluster computing, but there are a number of distinct differences. There is no centralized management in a grid; computers in the network are independently controlled and can perform non-network-related tasks at the discretion of the operator. The computers in a grid don’t need to have the same operating system or hardware. Grids are also usually loosely connected, often in a decentralized network, rather than contained in a single location, as computers in a cluster often are.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
