Putting the Globus Toolkit^® in Its Place

The Globus Toolkit "Ecosystem" (and how to make it work for you)

Lee Liming and the Globus Alliance

PowerPoint Slides
PDF Slides Handout
PDF References Handout

Abstract

The Globus Alliance is working to provide solutions to some of the most persistent and vexing problems that come up in Grid projects and applications. Our solutions to date are collected in the Globus Toolkit and these solutions are being used in many of today's major Grid infrastructures and applications.

While the Globus Toolkit can make Grid projects and products significantly easier, the challenges themselves are far from easy and the Globus Toolkit does not provide a turnkey solution. Success in a Grid project depends on a clear vision of the problems that need to be solved, awareness of existing technologies that can contribute to the solutions (both within and beyond the Globus Toolkit), and a strategy for using the technology to overcome the challenge.

This tutorial provides answers to critical questions for Grid project planners and product developers, including:

• What types of problems is the Grid intended to address? How far does the Globus Toolkit go toward solving these problems?
• How does the Globus Toolkit fit into a Grid project or product strategy?
• What do you need besides the Globus Toolkit to have a useful solution to your problem?
• How does one install and configure the Globus Toolkit, and then what does one do with it?
• What other Grid software works well with the Globus Toolkit, and what can one do if those are added?

The Globus Toolkit will be put into context, and examples and roadmaps for the most common uses of the Globus Toolkit will be provided.

Who should attend?

• Project leaders, team leaders, managers, IT executives, product managers, principal investigators, researchers, program managers, scientists, engineers
• Anyone who has recently or soon will accept a position of responsibility in a current or potential Grid project or product development activity

What you should already know:

Attendees should be familiar with the basic principals of information technology. For example: general computer and network architecture, general software engineering processes, client/server systems, databases, current types of commercial IT products, basic internet concepts.

What you will learn:

Attendees will learn answers to the questions posed in the abstract above. In summary, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how the Grid and the Globus Toolkit fit within their plans for producing useful products and/or applications and for planning successful Grid projects.