CS290I -- Computational Grids: Feng Shui for the Terminally Rectilinear

Rich Wolski --- Fall, 2004

CS290I Links of Import

This page: http://www.cs.ucsb.edu/~rich/class/cs290I-grid
General Information
Tentative Syllabus
Projects
Lecture Notes
TA Notes
Final Grades (only at the end)

Class Mailing List

Overview

Computational Grid computing is an emerging but often vaguely or ill-defined discipline in computer science. In the most general terms, it has been cast as "performance-oriented distributed computing" but this definition provides little insight into its inherent characteristics, and can be interpreted as mildly insulting by distributed systems practitioners who do not happen to consider themselves practicing the use of Computational Grids.

In this class, we will attempt to clarify some of the less-than-well understood aspects of Computational Grid computing, primarily through empirical investigation. In particular, we will

experiment with the Grid technologies that are currently most popular,
build Computational Grid programs using these technologies, and
evaluate their effectiveness, particularly with respect to their performance.

Having weathered the class successfully, it is the instructor's hope that the enlightened student will naturally form a competent opinion about the strengths and weaknesses of the Computational Grid approach as a new computing paradigm.