Servlet Grid Engine for Lightweight Resource Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current grid computing environments face challenges such as cumbersome implementation and administration, proprietary technologies, and the need for grid-specific programming languages, which hinder efficient resource access and utilization.
Innovation Solution
A servlet-based method and system using grid engines and switches, leveraging web technology and object-oriented programming to create a lightweight, non-proprietary grid computing environment that allows access to resources via a ubiquitous fabric, enabling grid computing over networks like the Internet, even through firewalls and HTTP proxies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If grid-specific programming languages and proprietary technologies are used, then grid computing functionality can be implemented, but implementation and administration become difficult and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway as an intermediary component that mediates between standard web technologies and grid computing resources. The gateway translates standard HTTP requests into grid-specific operations, eliminating the need for users to directly interact with complex grid programming interfaces. This intermediary layer simplifies implementation while maintaining grid functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs universal web technologies (HTTP, HTML, standard web servers) that can serve multiple purposes including grid resource access, data submission, and result retrieval. By making the system accessible through standard web protocols, it eliminates the need for proprietary grid-specific programming languages and tools, thereby simplifying both implementation and administration.
2Productivity
If grid-specific programming languages are required, then full advantage of grid resources can be taken, but programmers must learn additional languages and modify their programs
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway acts as a mediator that translates standard web requests into grid resource operations. Programmers can use familiar web technologies without learning grid-specific languages, while the gateway handles the translation to maintain full grid resource utilization capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical requirement of learning grid-specific programming languages with a web-based interface system. Instead of requiring programmers to manually program grid interactions in specialized languages, the system substitutes this with standard web protocols and automated gateway translation, thereby maintaining productivity while dramatically improving programming ease.
3Speed
If direct connections between user devices and grid resources are established, then efficient data transfer is achieved, but firewalls and HTTP proxy servers block connections
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway serves as a mediator that enables communication between user devices and grid resources through firewalls and HTTP proxy servers. By using the gateway as an intermediate endpoint, direct connection requirements are eliminated while maintaining data transfer capability through standardized web protocols that can traverse network security boundaries.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the connection paradigm from direct peer-to-peer connections to a multi-dimensional web-based architecture. Instead of establishing direct connections across network boundaries, the system uses HTTP protocols and web servers as an intermediate dimension, allowing data transfer to occur through multiple hops while maintaining efficiency.
4Productivity
If segmented data is used to effectively use grid resources, then resource utilization improves, but processing split data becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway implements feedback mechanisms that automatically manage segmented data. When data is split for grid processing, the gateway tracks segments, monitors their processing status, and automatically reassembles results in the correct order. This feedback loop eliminates the need for programmers to manually handle data segmentation complexity while maintaining high resource utilization.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for providing a lightweight grid computing environment. The method includes providing a web server running on a computer device and a grid engine on the web server that is adapted for processing grid compute requests from user programs. The grid engine receives a grid compute request from a user program that is processed by the grid engine to identify a client program available in the grid and a path in the grid to the client program. The method includes loading and running the client program with the grid engine to generate a client program output for transmittal to the user program. The grid compute request includes a URL request string including a name of the client program and the path to the client program and may also include a name of the computer device hosting the web server and a path to the grid engine.