Improving accuracy of host load predictions on computational grids by artificial neural networks

The capability to predict the host load of a system is significant for computational grids to make efficient use of shared resources. This paper attempts to improve the accuracy of host load predictions by applying a neural network predictor to reach the goal of best performance and load balance. We describe feasibility of the proposed predictor in a dynamic environment, and perform experimental evaluation using collected load traces. The results show that the neural network achieves a consistent performance improvement with surprisingly low overhead. Compared with the best previously proposed method, the typical 20:10:1 network reduces the mean and standard deviation of the prediction errors by approximately 60% and 70%, respectively. The training and testing time is extremely low, as this network needs only a couple of seconds to be trained with more than 100,000 samples in order to make tens of thousands of accurate predictions within just a second.