Dahlia: JXTA Based Grid Computing Framework

This report presents the Dahlia grid computing framework. Dahlia is implemented using the Java programming language and uses peer-to-peer technology provided by the Project JXTA protocols. Project JXTA defines a set of communication protocols allowing any network connected device to communicate in a peer-to-peer manner.The system consists of broker, manager, executor and task submitter. The task submitter is associated with the developer section. Whenever a developer has to submit a bundle of tasks, it notifies the task submitter. The task submitter then connects to the broker and tells the broker that it has some jobs to be processed. The broker analyses the set of managers and notifies the managers to activate their executors. Those managers notified by the broker then activate their executors. Now each executor activated by their managers tries to connect the task submitter. After establishing the connection to the task submitter, the executor requests for the job. The executor executes the job assigned by the task submitter and returns the result to the task submitter. If no executor requests for the jobs, the task submitter keeps on sending the signal to the broker saying that it has some tasks to be processed.The system is not self configuring. The server should start an application from dahlia system that creates a Dahlia group. Any computer volunteering their computing power will run an application called Executor. Before anyone runs executor, there must be some mangers running in the system. The system offers a framework for the development of applications solving parameter sweep applications type of problems but can also be used for other kinds of problems. The framework generates the number of system threads and sends them to the executors to execute. Furthermore, the system makes it extremely easy for users to write grid applications that use the dahlia grid system.