Characterizing Grids: Attributes, Definitions, and Formalisms

Grid systems and technologies have evolved over nearly a decade; yet, there is still no widely accepted definition for Grids. In particular, the essential attributes that distinguish Grids from other distributed computing environments have not been articulated. Most approaches to definition adopt a static view and consider only the properties and components of, or the applications supported by, Grids. The definition proposed in this paper is based on the runtime semantics of distributed systems. Rather than attempt to simply compare static characteristics of Grids and other distributed computing environments, this paper analyzes operational differences, from the viewpoint of an application executing in both environments. Our definition is expressed formally as an Abstract State Machine that facilitates the analysis of existing Grid systems or the design of new ones with rigor and precision. This new, semantical approach proposes an alternative to the currently accepted models for determining whether or not a distributed system is a Grid.