Activity pre-scheduling for run-time optimization of grid workflows

• Published in: Journal of systems architecture Vol. 54; no. 9; pp. 883 - 892
• Main Authors: Tretola, Giancarlo, Zimeo, Eugenio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-09-2008; Elsevier Sequoia S.A
• Subjects: Asynchronous invocation; Distributed processing; Grid computing; Grid workflow; Optimization; Run-time optimization; Scheduling; Studies; Systems design; Workflow software; Grid workflow; Grid computing; Run-time optimization; Asynchronous invocation
• ISSN: 1383-7621; 1873-6165
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sysarc.2008.01.009

The capability to support resource sharing between different organizations and high-level performance are noteworthy features of grid computing. Applications require significant design effort and complex coordination of resources to define, deploy and execute components on heterogeneous and often unknown resources. A common trend today aims at diffusing workflow management techniques to reduce the complexity of grid systems through model-driven approaches that significantly simplify application design through the composition of distributed services often belonging to different organizations. With this approach, the adoption of efficient workflow enactors becomes a key aspect to improve efficiency through run-time optimizations, so reducing the burden for the developer, who is only responsible of defining the functional aspects of complex applications since he/she has only to identify the activities that characterize the application and the causal relationships among them. This paper focuses on performance improvements of grid workflows by presenting a new pattern for workflow design that ensures activity pre-scheduling at run-time through a technique that generates fine-grained concurrency with a couple of concepts: asynchronous invocation of services and continuation of execution. The technique is implemented in a workflow enactment service that dynamically optimizes process execution with a very limited effort for application developer.