Abstract

Traditional resource management techniques (resource allocation, admission control and scheduling) have been found to be inadequate for many shared Grid and distributed systems that face unpredictable and bursty workloads. They provide no incentive for users to request resources judiciously and appropriately, and they do not capture the true value and importance (the utility) of user jobs. Consequently, researchers and practitioners have been examining the appropriateness of ‘market-inspired ’ resource management techniques in ensuring that users are treated fairly, without unduly favouring one set of users over another. Such techniques aim to smooth out access patterns and reduce the chance of transient overload, by providing incentives for users to be flexible about their resource requirements and job deadlines. We examine the recent evolution of these systems, looking at the state of the art in price setting and negotiation, grid economy management and utilitydriven scheduling and resource allocation, and identify the advantages and limitations of these systems. We then look to the future of these systems, examining the emerging ‘Catallaxy ’ market paradigm and present Mercato, a decentralised, Catallaxy inspired architecture that encapsulates the future directions that need to be pursued to address the limitations of current generation of market oriented Grids and Utility Computing systems. 1

Citations