Dynamic Allocation of Servers in a Grid Hosting Environment

A grid hosting environment is described, where servers may be reconfigured dynamically from one type of work to another in response to changes in demand. The problem of carrying out these reconfigurations in the most efficient manner is addressed by means of stochastic modelling and optimization. A heuristic policy, which is close to optimal over a wide range of parameters, is introduced. A prototype system based on existing resource management software has been developed to demonstrate the concepts described