An OBS-based grid architecture

Grids offer a uniform interface to a distributed collection of heterogeneous computational, storage and network resources. Most current operational grids are dedicated to a limited set of computationally and/or data intensive scientific problems. The de facto modus operandi is one where users submit job requests to a grid portal, acting as an interface to the grid's management system, which in turn negotiates with 'dumb' resources (computing and storage elements, network links) and arranges for the jobs to be executed. In this paper, we present a new grid architecture featuring generic application support, direct user access (grid-to-the-home) and decentralized scheduling intelligence in the network. We show how optical burst switching (OBS) enables these features while offering the necessary network flexibility demanded by future grid applications.