| Scientist Flemming is working in the field of atomic | | | | concept and for the first time, instrumental in |
| physics trying to understand elementary particle | | | | integrating peer to peer computing and web-services |
| radiation. He has to measure data in nearly 200 | | | | to provide seamless access to remote mammoth |
| thousand channels. Dr Galvin is working on | | | | computer power. Virtually, their protocols provide any |
| atmospheric turbulence modeling trying to understand | | | | computer the ability to peep into cyber space |
| the phenomenon of global warming. Both these | | | | irrespective of location and avail resources from any |
| scientists generate more than 10 million gigabytes of | | | | nook and corner and use them for any power hungry |
| data each year - which is equivalent to the storage | | | | application. With realization of CPG, organizations can |
| capacity of about 20 million CDs and would require | | | | optimize computing and data resources and pool |
| more than 70000 of today's fastest PC processors | | | | them and share them judiciously with due regard to |
| to analyze it all. Computing power as they have to | | | | commercial viability. |
| handle will be several peta bytes of data! That is to | | | | What is challenge in CPG? |
| say they need additional computing power for their | | | | We know the resources which are to be put into |
| research work at affordable cost. How to get | | | | Grid are geographically distributed across multiple |
| additional computing power? Is there a way out? The | | | | administrative domains with varying availability, |
| answer is computer power grid (CPG) in analogy with | | | | heterogeneity, diversity of use, varying cost, varying |
| electricity power grid. | | | | adaptability, etc. Managing such vast and variable |
| The way out: | | | | resources and scheduling of purpose at viable cost |
| There are nearly 750 million PCs in the world. On | | | | constitute a complex task. Basically CPG involves |
| average each PC is used for 10% of the time. | | | | three collaborative parties namely the Resources |
| Remaining time all the PCs are idling. This is a fact of | | | | Owners, Resource customers and Resource |
| under utilization of available computer power. Suppose | | | | distributors and who can join hands based on viable |
| we create an environment where we can cluster all | | | | economic frame work with certain trade-offs. Each |
| the computers in the world and create wide area | | | | party has to work within certain demand-supply |
| parallel and a distributed computing with necessary | | | | working model for best win-win results. |
| networking protocols. Such an infrastructure called | | | | The future: |
| 'Computer Power Grid'(CPG) will enable sharing, | | | | This 21st Century technology is going to alter the |
| selection and aggregation of a wide variety of | | | | way we live. Already several excellent CPG's are in |
| geographically distributed computational resources | | | | operation in the world. One such example is the |
| including storage systems, data sources etc. owned | | | | teragrid of US National Foundation established at a |
| by different organizations for solving large scale | | | | cost of US $ 88 m has a computing power of 21 tfo |
| resource intensive problems by researchers in | | | | s. Several such computing grids will change the way |
| science, engineering and commerce. | | | | the hospitals work, the way knowledge resources |
| What exactly is Computer Power Grid? | | | | utilized, the way the educational institutions and so on |
| Grid computing is a large scale networking | | | | combined with availability of access from anywhere |
| methodology of distributed computing and | | | | to every where. The application of CPGs is limitless. |
| virtualization of data resources such as processing, | | | | Even situations like Bhopal Chemical spill can be |
| network band width and storage capacity. CPG | | | | handled much better way through CPG by instant |
| grants its users seamless access to vast IT | | | | exchange of vital information like traffic of vehicles, |
| capabilities as though he is working with a single large | | | | direction of wind, availability of hospitals, security and |
| virtual computer. Suppose we net work one lakh PCs, | | | | safety etc. which is beyond the scope of present |
| it will yield computing power of 200 CPU years/day. | | | | day internet. |
| Such technology will be influencing the way we do | | | | Future research in any branch of science, engineering |
| research and transforming scientific, engineering, | | | | or commerce will be done in virtual laboratories in |
| commerce and many more disciplines. | | | | which researchers will work in collaboration without |
| Brief History: | | | | regard to their physical location as well as resources |
| In 80's, one could link two computers through | | | | location at much lower research cost. Already heavy |
| 'internet working protocol'. In 90's, hyper text | | | | weights like IBM, Sun Micro, Microsoft are in fray to |
| protocol came into existence. WWW (World Wide | | | | establish CPG's for various applications. So with CPG |
| Web) exploded. In 1995, concept of grid computing | | | | evolving into multi billion industry World is going to be |
| was introduced by Foster and Kesselman & | | | | transformed for better, impacting every aspect of |
| Stevan Tuecke widely regarded as the fathers of | | | | human living. |
| the grid computing. They continued to develop this | | | | |