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Center for Nonlinear Studies |
The LANL-based Linked Process project takes a new approach to Internet-scale distributed computing. While existing large-scale grid computing projects are typically very constrained in the kinds of computational tasks which can be performed, the kinds of devices which can participate in computation, and in the overall architecture of the system, the Linked Process specification provides the foundation for a much larger and more general-purpose distributed computing platform. Any device supporting the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP), be it a supercomputer or a cellular phone, is a potential node in a global compute cloud, communicating with other nodes in a manner similar to human chat. The implementation currently under development provides a simple API and supports a number of popular scripting languages, allowing software developers to write distributed applications with ease. This presentation will provide an overview of the Linked Process specification and discuss a range of potential uses of the technology.