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Table of contents
1.
Introduction
2.
How Grid Computing Works?
3.
Key Components of Grid Computing
4.
Types of Grid Computing
5.
Advantages of Grid Computing
6.
Disadvantages of Grid Computing
7.
Applications of Grid Computing
8.
FAQs
9.
Key Takeaways
Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024
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Grid Computing

Author Komal Shaw
1 upvote

Introduction

Grid Computing refers to a network of computers working together to accomplish a task that would have been difficult to perform on a single machine. This system works on a data grid where the computers interact to perform the jobs.

The tasks performed through grid computing are challenging to be performed on a single machine. All these tasks require analyzing massive datasets and simulating situations of high computing power.

It is a subset of Distributed Computing. It can also be referred to as a form of Parallel Computing. Since there are no standard rules and protocols established and accepted by people, it is not yet perfected.

How Grid Computing Works?

Grid Computing Network consists of three types of machines:-

  1. Control Node/Server - It refers to a server or a group of servers whose job is to administrate the whole network and maintain the account of the resources in the network pool.
  2. Provider - It refers to the computer which will contribute its resources to the network resource pool.
  3. User - It refers to the computer that will use the network resources.


Grid Computing runs specialized software on every computer involved in the network. This software will coordinate and manage all the tasks of the grid. The main task will be segregated into subtasks, which will be assigned to each computer, and all these computers will then work simultaneously. After all these subtasks are completed, the results are aggregated to meet the more significant main task.

Middleware is a software protocol used for controlling the network and its resources. It is responsible for administrating the network. The job of the control node is to look into the matter that no provider is overloaded with tasks.

Middleware also can authorize any process being executed on the network. It is responsible for ensuring that no unwanted job is being run on the network. Grid Computing is used in various areas to solve mathematical and analytical problems.

Key Components of Grid Computing

The critical components of grid computing are:-

  1. User interface
  2. Security
  3. Scheduler
  4. Data Management
  5. Workload and Resource Management

Types of Grid Computing

The types of grid computing are:-

 

Source

Advantages of Grid Computing

  1. Grid Computing is not centralized because no servers are required.
  2. Every machine with different operating systems can use a single grid operating system.
  3. The tasks can be performed parallelly.

Disadvantages of Grid Computing

  1. There needs to be a super-fast interconnect between the computer resources.
  2. The software is still in the involution phase.
  3. Licensing across many servers may make it prohibitive for some applications.

Applications of Grid Computing

Source

 

Grid computing is thus beneficial for various industries like IT, Aerospace, Automotive, Life Science, etc. The tasks can be completed at a significantly faster rate through grid computing, irrespective of the geographical locations.

FAQs

  1. What is GSI?
    GSI stands for Grid Security Infrastructure. It provides specifications that establish secret and tamper-proof communications between the software entities.
     
  2. What is GASS?
    Grid Access to Secondary Storage.
     
  3. What is Parallel Computing?
    Parallel Computing is the scenario when the CPU cores are not on many machines but a single machine.
     
  4. Is Grid Computing a subset of Distributed Computing?
    Yes, Grid Computing can be viewed as a subset of Distributed Computing.
     
  5. What is a provider?
    A provider is a computer that contributes its resources to the network resource pool.

Key Takeaways

In this article, we have extensively discussed Grid Computing and how it works. We hope that this blog has helped you enhance your knowledge regarding Grid Computing.

If you want to learn more, check out our articles on IDaas in Cloud ComputingIaas Vs Paas Vs SaasCloud Management in Cloud Computing.

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