Abstract: A method in a network of interconnected computer systems includes generating a Quality of Service (QoS) requirements document between a client and a first server for execution of a service in the first server, initiating execution of the service in the first server in response to a client request, and migrating execution of the service from the first server to a service in a second server if the first server cannot guarantee requirements specified in the QoS requirements document.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for installing resources in a computer system operate to identify a need to install resources on a target device and perform an installation of the resources on the target device using installer components located remotely from the target device. The remotely located installer components control the installation of the resources.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for delivering resources for installation on a machine involves receiving a first request from one or more installer components requesting one or more requested installation resources. A second request is sent, in response to the first request, for the one or more requested installation resources to multiple service providers. One or more installation resources are obtained from the service providers. The obtained installation resources correspond to the requested installation resources and are obtained as a result of the second request. The obtained installation resources are delivered to the installer components.

Abstract: A system and a method includes generating customization settings for an application on a first grid system, the customization settings enabling grid operation of the application. The system and method also includes distributing the application along with the customization settings to a second grid system, and installing the application and the customization settings on the second grid system such that computational resources of the second grid system can be allocated to the application from another grid system.

Abstract: A system and a method includes storing one or more configuration element entries in a definition scheme on a computer system included in a grid computer network. The configuration element entry includes data used by a program included in the computer system in the grid computer network to locate and access application specific customization data associated with an application on the computer system. The system and method also includes accessing the entries in the definition scheme for the application such that the program accesses the customization data using the definition scheme and the configuration element entries.

Abstract: A method includes receiving, from an application process, a document specifying a communication protocol and a communication channel, reading the document, and instantiating the communications channel with the application process using the communication protocol. The method also includes sending communications to the application process using the communication protocol through the communication channel, and receiving communications from the application process using the communication protocol through the communication channel.

Abstract: A method and a graphical user interface (GUI) presents a set of services managing a portion of a computer grid, the GUI including a matrix-like structure with columns and rows, each column representing a computer from a set of computers in the computer grid, each computer from the set of computers having a grid manager, and each row representing a grid manager or other application service, positions of labels in the structure indicating which computer currently runs which grid manager or other application service. The GUI also includes a column representing a first computer from the set of computers running a first grid manager, and one or more columns representing one or more computers from the set of computers running one or more grid managers having an inferior relation with the first grid manager.

Abstract: A method includes requesting a computer in a network to install a first application and execute the first application, transferring one or more files to the computer, making modifications to the computer to install and execute the first application on the computer while recording the modifications, the modifications comprising allocating a resource to the first application, halting the first application on the computer, and reversing a portion of the modifications to the computer according to the recorded modifications. The reversing includes deallocating the resource from the first application. The method also includes making modifications to the computer to install and execute a second application on the available computer while recording the modifications, where the modifications include allocating the resource to the second application.

Abstract: A graphical user interface (GUI) includes a graph with vectors and nodes for visualizing a computer grid, the nodes representing computers running grid managers and the vectors representing relations between pairs of grid managers, each of the relations defining a first grid manager to be superior to a second grid manager and a vector points from a node representing the first grid manager to a node representing the second grid manager. The GUI also includes, for each node, an expandable structure showing computer grid applications running on a computer represented by the node, and an event handler configured to receive a request to view management services running on a computer and to generate a display showing the management services running on the computer.

Abstract: A network of grid managers includes a first computer linked to a second computer, the first computer having a first grid manager and the second computer having a second grid manager, the first and second grid managers handling at least locating, reserving, allocating, monitoring, and deallocating one or more computational resources for an application, the grid manager, upon receipt of a command, loads new instructions to modify current instructions residing in the service that modifies a behavior of the service without restarting the service.

Abstract: A method for a grid application start protocol includes, in a network, responding to a request for a computational resource available for computing a task by sending a list of available computational resources, receiving a selection of a computational resource for reservation. The method includes, if the selection of the computational resource is available for computing the task, reserving the selection and sending a reservation number for the selection, and sending the request to a different portion of the network if computational resources are unavailable for computing the task.

Abstract: A method includes, in a grid computing environment, maintaining systems having grid managers having hierarchical relations, the relations of each grid manager stored in each of the systems. Each of these hierarchical relations are classified as superior or inferior.