A new ecological network-based grid middleware and its simulation platform

Next generation grid systems where the emphasis shifts to distributed global collaboration, a service-oriented approach and information layer issues exhibit a strong sense of automation. Requirements for these systems resemble the self-organizing and the healing properties of natural ecological networks. Inspired by this resemblance, we introduce some key ecological concepts and mechanisms into the design for the next generation grid systems. In this paper, a novel Ecological Network-based Grid Middleware (ENGM), which is based on Ecological Network Computing Environment (ENCE), is proposed. This middleware system can address the challenges of the next generation grid systems. That is, it achieves built-in mechanisms to support desirable requirements of new grid systems such as self-organization, survivability, self-evolution, scalability, adaptability, and dynamic configuration and reconfiguration.