The Grid 2: Blueprint for a New Computing Infrastructure, 2/e (Hardcover)

The Grid is an emerging infrastructure that will fundamentally change the way we think about-and use-computing. The word Grid is used by analogy with the electric power grid, which provides pervasive access to electricity and has had a dramatic impact on human capabilities and society. Many believe that by allowing all components of our information technology infrastructure-computational capabilities, databases, sensors, and people-to be shared flexibly as true collaborative tools the Grid will have a similar transforming effect, allowing new classes of applications to emerge.
-From the Preface

In 1998, Ian Foster and Carl Kesselman introduced a whole new concept in computing with the first edition of this book. Today there is a broader and deeper understanding of the nature of the opportunities offered by Grid computing and the technologies needed to realize those opportunities. In Grid 2, the editors reveal the revolutionary impact of large-scale resource sharing and virtualization within science and industry, the intimate relationships between organization and resource sharing structures and the new technologies required to enable secure, reliable, and efficient resource sharing on large scale.
Foster and Kesselman have once again assembled a team of experts to present an up-to-date view of Grids that reports on real experiences and explains the available technologies and new technologies emerging from labs, companies and standards bodies. Grid 2, like its predecessor, serves as a manifesto, design blueprint, user guide and research agenda for future Grid systems.

*30 chapters including more than a dozen completely new chapters.
*Web access to 13 unchanged chapters from the first edition.
*Three personal essays by influential thinkers on the significance of Grids from the perspectives of infrastructure, industry, and science.
*A foundational overview of the central Grid concepts and architectural principles.
*Twelve application vignettes showcase working Grids in science, engineering, industry, and commerce.
*Detailed discussions of core architecture and services, data and knowledge management, and higher-level tools.
*Focused presentations on production Grid deployment, computing platforms, peer-to-peer technologies, and network infrastructures.
*Extensive bibliography and glossary.

《The Grid》是一本關於計算機基礎架構的新興書籍，將徹底改變我們對計算機思維和使用方式的觀念。這裡的「Grid」一詞是以電力網格為類比，電力網格提供普遍的電力接入，對人類能力和社會產生了巨大影響。許多人相信，通過將我們的信息技術基礎架構的所有組件-計算能力、數據庫、傳感器和人員-作為真正的協作工具靈活共享，Grid將產生類似的轉型效應，從而催生新的應用類型。

1998年，Ian Foster和Carl Kesselman在第一版中引入了計算機領域的全新概念。如今，人們對Grid計算所提供的機遇以及實現這些機遇所需的技術有了更廣泛和深入的理解。在《Grid 2》中，編輯們揭示了大規模資源共享和虛擬化對科學和工業的革命性影響，組織和資源共享結構之間的密切關係，以及實現安全、可靠和高效的大規模資源共享所需的新技術。

Foster和Kesselman再次組織了一個專家團隊，介紹了關於Grid的最新觀點，報告了真實的經驗，解釋了實驗室、公司和標準機構出現的可用技術和新技術。《Grid 2》像其前作一樣，既是一份宣言、設計藍圖、使用指南，也是未來Grid系統的研究議程。

本書包括30章，其中超過十幾章是全新的。還提供網絡訪問第一版中的13章。此外，還有三篇由有影響力的思想家撰寫的個人文章，從基礎設施、工業和科學的角度闡述了Grid的重要性。書中還包括對中心Grid概念和架構原則的基礎概述，以及展示科學、工程、工業和商業中運行的Grid的十二個應用實例。此外，還有關於核心架構和服務、數據和知識管理以及高級工具的詳細討論，以及關於生產Grid部署、計算平台、點對點技術和網絡基礎設施的重點介紹。還提供廣泛的參考文獻和詞彙表。