Grid Computing Market in Difficulty
David L. Margulius has written an interesting article in Inforworld on the problems with the market for grid computing as a solution to providing high performance and scalability. Some of the problems associated with grid computing are summarized in one paragraph of the article.
So, is grid swimming against the tide of simplicity here? Kind of, according to the 451 Group. Grid-enablement means writing or rewriting apps and all the associated APIs, the report says. Challenges include job splitting, division and queuing, shared memory, and data management, as well as managing the potential for a “deadly embrace” or “deadlocking” between two apps sharing the same infrastructure. And, the report continues, “managing the output from a job run on a grid is another pain point, as are caching and the wider integration between storage, compute, and network resources.”
The article refers to some research from The 451 Group that indicates that the challenges of using grid computing include:
• Running an application in a distributed environment creates challenges related to job splitting, division and
queuing, as well as with shared memory and data management.
• Running a job across a grid requires the use of shared infrastructure, presenting the danger that two applications
will want the same resource at the same time, which is known as 'deadly embrace' or 'deadlocking.'
• Managing the output from a job run on a grid is another
The 451 Group has published a 68-page report, including what I presume must be horror stories from early adaptors, given the tone of the conclusions in the press release.
It's good to see solid research finally coming out about grid computing. It sounds like the technology has a long way to go before it is mainstream.
PJ Murray
CodeFutures Software