Grid computing--harnessing the unused processing cycles of computers on a network to solve complex problems--has been used in scientific and research projects (known as "distributed computing") for decades. As the need for increased processing power becomes ever more urgent, computational grids are poised to invade mainstream computing--as evidenced by recent grid initiatives from industry heavyweights IBM and Sun. But grid computing faces challenges in areas such as security and availabilit

y that must be addressed for grids to finally migrate to the enterprise.

The grid concept
With grids, instead of depending on systems working separately to solve problems, you can take advantage of the unused cycles of existing systems in your network, aggregating their muscle to run applications and solve complex problems more efficiently.
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Standards extend grids' reach
With the advent of Internet connectivity, cheap networks, gigahertz processors and most importantly, open standards, the enormous potential benefits of grid computing are becoming clear.
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MORE GRID COVERAGE

Hackers exploit lack of grid security
Security is one of the major challenges facing grid computing. Case in point, a worldwide hacker confederation is creating a grid for cracking e-commerce passwords. Wayne Rash explains how to gurard against such an attack.
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Big Blue eyes science grid
IBM is working with the Department of Energy to link computers in a powerful grid, massively boosting their ability to study complex issues such as global climate change.
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DOWNLOADS

You don't have to wait to get your feet wet in this emerging arena. We found three applications you can download to start testing distributed computing in your company.

Sun JXTA
REBOL/View/Pro
Distributed Computing @ Home

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