Optimizing Grid Application Setup Using Operating System Mobility

This paper is about optimizing Grid application setup by allowing a user to configure a Grid application on her own PC and thereafter migrating the entire application onto the Grid where the Grid system replicates the application including the operating system instance onto the assigned nodes within the Grid. We use this strategy to develop a new Minimal Configuration Grid model (MCG). Configuration is simplified because the user does it on her own machine. Cluster administration is simplified because only a minimal software base is required: No OS nor any shared libraries need be present; they are simply migrated to each node. We have built a prototype MCG based on Intel x86 and the Xen Virtual Machine Monitor.