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{{Distinguish|Cluster computing}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=April 2025}}
'''Grid computing''' is the use of widely distributed [[computer]] [[System resource|resources]] to reach a common goal. A computing grid can be thought of as a [[distributed system]] with non-interactive workloads that involve many files. Grid computing is distinguished from conventional high-performance computing systems such as [[Cluster (computing)|cluster]] computing in that grid computers have each node set to perform a different task/application. Grid computers also tend to be more [[heterogeneous]] and geographically dispersed (thus not physically coupled) than cluster computers.<ref>[http://www.e-sciencecity.org/EN/gridcafe/what-is-the-grid.html What is grid computing? - Gridcafe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130210072831/http://www.e-sciencecity.org/EN/gridcafe/what-is-the-grid.html |date=2013-02-10 }}. E-sciencecity.org. Retrieved 2013-09-18.</ref> Although a single grid can be dedicated to a particular application, commonly a grid is used for a variety of purposes. Grids are often constructed with general-purpose grid [[middleware]] software libraries. Grid sizes can be quite large.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.networkworld.com/article/893875/software-scale-grid-computing-down-to-size.html |title=Scale grid computing down to size |publisher=NetworkWorld.com |date=2003-01-27 |access-date=2015-04-21 |archive-date=2023-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231206075823/https://www.networkworld.com/article/893875/software-scale-grid-computing-down-to-size.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Grids are a form of [[distributed computing]] composed of many networked [[Loose coupling|loosely coupled]] computers acting together to perform large tasks. For certain applications, distributed or grid computing can be seen as a special type of [[parallel computing]] that relies on complete computers (with onboard CPUs, storage, power supplies, network interfaces, etc.) connected to a [[computer network]] (private or public) by a conventional [[Network interface controller|network interface]], such as [[Ethernet]]. This is in contrast to the traditional notion of a [[supercomputer]], which has many processors connected by a local high-speed [[computer bus]]. This technology has been applied to computationally intensive scientific, mathematical, and academic problems through [[volunteer computing]], and it is used in commercial enterprises for such diverse applications as [[drug discovery]], [[economic forecasting]], [[seismic analysis]], and [[back office]] data processing in support for [[e-commerce]] and [[Web
Grid computing combines computers from multiple administrative domains to reach a common goal,<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://dlib.cs.odu.edu/WhatIsTheGrid.pdf|title=What is the Grid? A Three Point Checklist|access-date=2010-10-21|archive-date=2014-11-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141122035905/http://dlib.cs.odu.edu/WhatIsTheGrid.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> to solve a single task, and may then disappear just as quickly. The size of a grid may vary from small—confined to a network of computer workstations within a corporation, for example—to large, public collaborations across many companies and networks. "The notion of a confined grid may also be known as an intra-nodes cooperation whereas the notion of a larger, wider grid may thus refer to an inter-nodes cooperation".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://diuf.unifr.ch/pai/wiki/doku.php?id=Publications&page=publication&kind=single&ID=276 |title=Pervasive and Artificial Intelligence Group :: publications [Pervasive and Artificial Intelligence Research Group] |publisher=Diuf.unifr.ch |date=May 18, 2009 |access-date=July 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707004350/http://diuf.unifr.ch/pai/wiki/doku.php?id=Publications&page=publication&kind=single&ID=276 |archive-date=July 7, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Coordinating applications on Grids can be a complex task, especially when coordinating the flow of information across distributed computing resources. [[Scientific workflow system|Grid workflow]] systems have been developed as a specialized form of a [[workflow management system]] designed specifically to compose and execute a series of computational or data manipulation steps, or a workflow, in the grid context.
==Comparison of grids and conventional supercomputers==
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===Progress===
In November 2006, [[Edward Seidel]] received the [[Sidney Fernbach Award]] at the Supercomputing Conference in [[Tampa, Florida]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Edward Seidel 2006 Sidney Fernbach Award Recipient|url=http://www.computer.org/portal/web/awards/seidel|work=IEEE Computer Society Awards|publisher=IEEE Computer Society|access-date=14 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815212928/http://www.computer.org/portal/web/awards/seidel|archive-date=15 August 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> "For outstanding contributions to the development of software for HPC and Grid computing to enable the collaborative numerical investigation of complex problems in physics; in particular, modeling black hole collisions."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.computer.org/portal/web/awards/seidel|title=Edward Seidel • IEEE Computer Society|website=www.computer.org|access-date=14 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815212928/http://www.computer.org/portal/web/awards/seidel|archive-date=15 August 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> This award, which is one of the highest honors in computing, was awarded for his achievements in numerical relativity.
==Fastest virtual supercomputers==
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The [[European Union]] funded projects through the [[framework programme]]s of the [[European Commission]]. [[BEinGRID]] (Business Experiments in Grid) was a research project funded by the European Commission<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beingrid.eu/|title=beingrid.eu: Stromkosten Vergleiche -|website=beingrid.eu: Stromkosten Vergleiche|access-date=14 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723100417/http://www.beingrid.eu/|archive-date=23 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> as an [[Integrated Project (EU)|Integrated Project]] under the [[Sixth Framework Programme]] (FP6) sponsorship program. Started on June 1, 2006, the project ran 42 months, until November 2009. The project was coordinated by [[Atos Origin]]. According to the project fact sheet, their mission is “to establish effective routes to foster the adoption of grid computing across the EU and to stimulate research into innovative business models using Grid technologies”. To extract best practice and common themes from the experimental implementations, two groups of consultants are analyzing a series of pilots, one technical, one business. The project is significant not only for its long duration but also for its budget, which at 24.8 million Euros, is the largest of any FP6 integrated project. Of this, 15.7 million is provided by the European Commission and the remainder by its 98 contributing partner companies. Since the end of the project, the results of BEinGRID have been taken up and carried forward by [[IT-Tude.com]].
The Enabling Grids for E-sciencE project, based in the [[European Union]] and included sites in Asia and the United States, was a follow-up project to the European DataGrid (EDG) and evolved into the [[European Grid Infrastructure]]. This, along with the [[Worldwide LHC Computing Grid]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wlcg.web.cern.ch/|title=Welcome to the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid - WLCG|website=wlcg.web.cern.ch|access-date=14 March 2018|archive-date=25 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725112849/http://wlcg.web.cern.ch/|url-status=live}}</ref> (WLCG), was developed to support experiments using the [[CERN]] [[Large Hadron Collider]]. A list of active sites participating within WLCG can be found online<ref>{{cite web |url=http://goc.grid.sinica.edu.tw/gstat/ |title=GStat 2.0 – Summary View – GRID EGEE |publisher=Goc.grid.sinica.edu.tw |access-date=July 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080320145926/http://goc.grid.sinica.edu.tw/gstat/ |archive-date=March 20, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> as can real time monitoring of the EGEE infrastructure.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gridportal.hep.ph.ic.ac.uk/rtm/ |title=Real Time Monitor |publisher=Gridportal.hep.ph.ic.ac.uk |access-date=July 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091216124323/http://gridportal.hep.ph.ic.ac.uk/rtm/ |archive-date=December 16, 2009 }}</ref> The relevant software and documentation is also publicly accessible.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lcg.web.cern.ch/LCG/activities/deployment.html |title=LCG – Deployment |publisher=Lcg.web.cern.ch |access-date=July 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101117002656/http://lcg.web.cern.ch/LCG/activities/deployment.html |archive-date=November 17, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> There is speculation that dedicated fiber optic links, such as those installed by CERN to address the WLCG's data-intensive needs, may one day be available to home users thereby providing internet services at speeds up to 10,000 times faster than a traditional broadband connection.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.
The [[distributed.net]] project was started in 1997.
The [[NASA Advanced Supercomputing facility]] (NAS) ran [[genetic algorithm]]s using the [[Condor cycle scavenger]] running on about 350 [[Sun Microsystems]] and [[Silicon Graphics|SGI]] workstations.
In 2001, [[United Devices]] operated the [[United Devices Cancer Research Project]] based on its [[Grid MP]] product, which cycle-scavenges on volunteer PCs connected to the Internet. The project ran on about 3.1 million machines before its close in 2007.<ref>
===Definitions===
Today there are many definitions of ''grid computing'':
*In his article “What is the Grid? A Three Point Checklist”,<ref name="autogenerated1"
**[[Computing resource]]s are not administered centrally.
**[[Open standards]] are used.
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* Plaszczak/Wellner<ref>P Plaszczak, R Wellner, ''Grid computing'', 2005, Elsevier/Morgan Kaufmann, San Francisco</ref> define grid technology as "the technology that enables resource virtualization, on-demand provisioning, and service (resource) sharing between organizations."
* IBM defines grid computing as “the ability, using a set of open standards and protocols, to gain access to applications and data, processing power, storage capacity and a vast array of other computing resources over the Internet. A grid is a type of parallel and distributed system that enables the sharing, selection, and aggregation of resources distributed across ‘multiple’ administrative domains based on their (resources) availability, capacity, performance, cost and users' quality-of-service requirements”.<ref>IBM Solutions Grid for Business Partners: Helping IBM Business Partners to Grid-enable applications for the next phase of e-business on demand</ref>
* An earlier example of the notion of computing as
* Buyya/Venugopal<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buyya.com/papers/GridIntro-CSI2005.pdf|title=A Gentle Introduction to Grid Computing and Technologies|access-date=May 6, 2005|archive-date=March 24, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060324161402/http://www.buyya.com/papers/GridIntro-CSI2005.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> define grid as "a type of parallel and distributed system that enables the sharing, selection, and aggregation of geographically distributed [[Wiktionary:autonomy|autonomous]] resources dynamically at runtime depending on their availability, capability, performance, cost, and users' quality-of-service requirements".
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