Abstract: A method, system, and program for estimating future grid job costs by classifying grid jobs and storing results of processing grid job microcosms are provided. In general, a client side agent estimates future grid job costs by comparing a current grid job of a particular classification with a history of stored costs for other grid jobs of that customer of that particular classification. In particular, the grid client agent for a client system enabled to submit grid jobs to a grid provider that facilitates a grid environment, calculates a ratio of an application based metric to a grid provider metric for processing a particular grid job. Then, the grid client agent creates a table with an entry comparing the application based metric to a cost per grid provider metric for the grid provider based on the calculated ratio. Next, the grid client agent stores the table with the entry.

Abstract: A system and method for identifying, from a set of geographical areas, a set of target areas that overlap a map view or view port of a map. Target areas are defined as circles having centers and radii, as sets of geographic cells overlaying the areas, or as other polygons of geographic data. Within a view port served or to be served to a user, multiple points are defined and substantially equally spaced within the view port, such that any target area that may significantly overlap the view port (e.g., at least a threshold percentage of the view port) is likely to overlap a minimum number of the points (e.g., one). Some or all target areas are then tested for intersection with some or all of the points, and calculations may be made to determine how much the intersecting areas actually overlap the view port.

Abstract: A method, system, and program for automating responses by grid providers to bid request indicating criteria for a grid job are provided. A bid controller grid service of a grid provider receives a job request from a client for processing a job within a grid environment of the grid provider, wherein the job request specifies at a least one criteria required for the grid provider to handle a particular grid job. The grid service determines whether the grid environment includes the hardware platform class, software platform class, and network bandwidth required by the job request. If the grid service determines that the grid environment includes a sufficient hardware platform class, software platform class, and network bandwidth, then a total required workload for the job request is calculated.

Abstract: A grid service detects a current software environment for a grid job within a grid environment, wherein the grid environment includes multiple grid resources. The grid service searches a catalog of multiple software images to determine whether an image for the current software environment matches any software images in the catalog. Each of the software images includes an index into at least one installation image. Storage of the software images is structured in the catalog for automated efficient access to each software image by multiple resource nodes within the grid environment. If the grid service does not locate a software image for the current software environment in the catalog, the grid service captures at least one installation image for the current software environment for storage in the catalog as an additional software image.

Abstract: A method, system, and program for maintaining application operations within a suboptimal grid environment are provided. An application profile expresses the operational requirements of an application across multiple heterogeneous resource platforms and expresses the priority of modular breakdown of an application so that usage of resources by the application can be adjusted when suboptimal conditions are detected for the application. The application is submitted to at least one resource node from among multiple resource nodes within a grid environment. Then, a service availability management agent monitors a performance status of the at least one resource node. The service availability management agent compares the performance status with an operational requirement specified for the platform of the at least one resource node in the application profile.

Abstract: A method, system, and program for managing escalating resource needs within a grid environment are provided. A job is submitted into a first selection of resources in a grid environment from among a hierarchy of discrete sets of resources accessible in the grid environment. Discrete sets of resources may include locally accessible resources, enterprise accessible resources, capacity on demand resources, and grid resources. The performance of the first selection of resources is monitored and compared with a required performance level for the job. If the required performance level is not met, then the discrete sets of resources are queried for available resources to meet the required performance level in an order designated by said hierarchy. Available resources in a next discrete set of resource from the hierarchy of discrete sets of resources are added to a virtual organization of resources handling the job within the grid environment.

Abstract: A system and method for determining bounds of a geographical area, such as a city, metropolis, region (e.g., state) or country. From a set of coordinates within the area (e.g., latitude/longitude coordinates), a grid of relatively small cells of geographic data is overlaid upon those coordinates and associated with the area. Each initial cell is iteratively replaced with a larger cell that encompasses the initial cell until the replacement cell intersects a cell associated with some other geographical area or some other boundary condition is met (e.g., a threshold number of replacements).

Abstract: A client side agent estimates future grid job costs by comparing a current grid job of a particular classification with a history of stored costs for other grid jobs of that customer of that particular classification. The grid client agent for a client system enabled to submit grid jobs to a grid provider that facilitates a grid environment, calculates a ratio of an application based metric to a grid provider metric for processing a particular grid job. The grid client agent creates a table with an entry comparing the application based metric to a cost per grid provider metric for the grid provider based on the calculated ratio. The grid client agent stores the table with the entry.

Abstract: A job is submitted into a first selection of resources in a grid environment from among a hierarchy of discrete sets of resources accessible in the grid environment. Discrete sets of resources may include locally accessible resources, enterprise accessible resources, capacity on demand resources, and grid resources. The performance of the first selection of resources is monitored and compared with a required performance level for the job. If the required performance level is not met, then the discrete sets of resources are queried for available resources to meet the required performance level in an order designated by said hierarchy. Available resources in a next discrete set of resource from the hierarchy of discrete sets of resources are added to a virtual organization of resources handling the job within the grid environment.

Abstract: A bid controller grid service of a grid provider receives a job request from a client for processing a job within a grid environment of the grid provider, wherein the job request specifies at a least one criteria required for the grid provider to handle a particular grid job. The grid service determines whether the grid environment includes the hardware platform class, software platform class, and network bandwidth required by the job request. If the grid service determines that the grid environment includes a sufficient hardware platform class, software platform class, and network bandwidth, then a total required workload for the job request is calculated. Next, a total cost for the total required workload is estimated and the grid service automatically returns a bid response to the client system, where the bid response includes an identifier for the grid provider and the total cost for the job request.

Abstract: An application profile expresses the operational requirements of an application across multiple heterogeneous resource platforms and expresses the priority of modular breakdown of an application so that usage of resources by the application can be adjusted when suboptimal conditions are detected for the application. The application is submitted to at least one resource node from among multiple resource nodes within a grid environment. Then, a management agent monitors a performance status of the at least one resource node. The management agent compares the performance status with an operational requirement specified for the platform of the at least one resource node in the application profile. If the performance status does not meet the operational requirement, then the management agent adjusts the use by the application the resource nodes according to the application profile, such that the application continues to operate when suboptimal conditions arise in a grid environment.

Abstract: A method, system, and program for coordinating the monitoring, management, and prediction of unintended changes within a grid environment are provided. A grid change controller within a particular grid environment detects an unintended change within that grid environment. In particular, grid change controller monitors potential change indicators received from multiple disparate resource managers across the grid environment, where each resource manage manages a selection of resources within the grid environment. The grid change controller then determines a necessary response to the unintended change within the grid environment and communicates with at least one independent manager within the grid environment to resolve the unintended change, such that the grid change controller facilitates recovery from the unintended change within the grid environment to maintain performance requirements within the grid environment.

Abstract: A method, system, and program for verifying resource functionality before use by a grid job submitted to a grid environment are provided. When a new resource is allocated to a particular execution environment within a grid environment managed by a grid management system, then a grid verification service automatically selects and runs at least one functionality test on the new resource as controlled by the grid management system. Responsive to a result of the functionality test, the grid verification system verifies whether the result meets an expected result before enabling routing of the grid job to the new resource, such that the functionality of the new resource is automatically verified before access to the new resource is allowed to maintain quality of service in processing grid jobs.

Abstract: A grid change controller within a particular grid environment detects an unintended change within that grid environment. In particular, grid change controller monitors potential change indicators received from multiple disparate resource managers across the grid environment, where each resource manage manages a selection of resources within the grid environment. The grid change controller then determines a necessary response to the unintended change within the grid environment and communicates with at least one independent manager within the grid environment to resolve the unintended change, such that the grid environment to maintain performance requirements within the grid environment.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for invoking a service in a service-oriented architecture in which a client invokes such service from a service provider using a selected transport binding. A service binding for a service invocation from the service provider is first negotiated in a negotiation process using a first transport binding. The service invocation is then handled using the service binding negotiated in the negotiation process. A client may first determine whether a server is capable of negotiating a service binding. If the server is capable of negotiating a service binding, the client negotiates a service binding with the server. Otherwise, a service binding is selected on the basis on diagnostic information available to the client without negotiating with the server. Separate service bindings may be negotiated for each of several portions of a communication path, either by the client and service provider or by intermediaries along the communication path.

Abstract: A system for creating a dynamic client side service proxy framework using meta-data and introspection capabilities of Open Grid Services Architecture (OGSA) service data is disclosed. The system includes defining an Open Grid Service Invocation Factory configured to create a service proxy and introspecting an Open Grid Service Infrastructure (OGSI) service based on information exposed by the service. An OGSI Service Invocation Proxy is created defining a set of dynamic interfaces based on service introspection and a meta-data inspection interface of the Service Invocation Proxy. The Service Invocation Proxy exposes both static port type interfaces and dynamic interfaces to support more flexibility of the client.

Abstract: When a new resource is allocated to a particular execution environment within a grid environment managed by a grid management system, then a grid verification service automatically selects and runs at least one functionality test on the new resource as controlled by the grid management system. Responsive to a result of the functionality test, the grid verification system verifies whether the result meets an expected result before enabling routing of the grid job to the new resource, such that the functionality of the new resource is automatically verified before access to the new resource is allowed to maintain quality of service in processing grid jobs.

Abstract: The present invention is method for scheduling jobs in a grid computing environment without having to monitor the state of the resource on the gird comprising a Global Scheduling Program (GSP) and a Local Scheduling Program (LSP). The GSP receives jobs submitted to the grid and distributes the job to the closest resource. The resource then runs the LSP to determine if the resource can execute the job under the conditions specified in the job. The LSP either rejects or accepts the job based on the current state of the resource properties and informs the GSP of the acceptance or rejection. If the job is rejected, the GSP randomly selects another resource to send the job to using a resource table. The resource table contains the state-independent properties of every resource on the grid.

Abstract: A method and system for managing state data of a service in a service-oriented architecture by establishing a gateway for service-oriented state comprising: configuring an extensible, pluggable interface to support for extensible processor interfaces; data query support on service state data, automated notification capability on service state to a client; and automated data transform on service state data to a client format; defining an interface framework for interaction between a service and the gateway. The method also includes establishing an extensible meta-data definition comprising an extensible set of service state data attributes including state data qualifiers, constraints, and access mechanisms; and utilizing one or more pluggable processors configured to utilize the extensible meta-data definition for interfaces and decision making based on the meta-data.

Abstract: A method, system, and program managing analysis of a degraded service in a grid environment are provided. In a grid environment of multiple diverse systems, a service availability management agent is enabled to receive multiple types of error messages generated from the multiple diverse systems within the grid environment. Each error message is parsed to determine a general error indicator. Then, the service availability management agent attempts to resolve the general error indicator and return a solution to each parsed error message. Solutions may include an adjustment of resource usage by a particular service, an explanation of a particular error message, or a recommendation of alternate resources. The service availability management agent preferably specifies the transmission of the solution in a format specified for the requester system.