What is the Grid ? Tentative Definitions Beyond Resource Coordination

Ian Foster’s What is The Grid ? paper gives the generally accepted definition of Grid and Grid computing. While sound, it does not precisely define the involved concepts, which may lead to misunderstandings. We propose a tentative set of definitions for Grid, Grid computing and related concepts such as Virtual Organization, Grid resource sharing architectures and policies. Several design parameters are identified, the impact of the resource environment is analysed and effective combinations of design parameters are reviewed