An OBS-based grid architecture

Grids offer a uniform interface to a distributed collection of heterogeneous computational, storage and network resources. Most current operational grids are dedicated to a limited set of computationally and/or data intensive scientific problems. The de facto modus operandi is one where users submit job requests to a grid portal, acting as an interface to the grid´s management system, which in turn negotiates with ´dumb´ resources (computing and storage elements, network links) and arranges for the jobs to be executed. In this paper, we present a new grid architecture featuring generic application support, direct user access (grid-to-the-home) and decentralized scheduling intelligence in the network. We show how optical burst switching (OBS) enables these features while offering the necessary network flexibility demanded by future grid applications.