The Enterprise Grid Alliance published a reference model for grid computing on Tuesday. The alliance hopes the model will
make it easier for businesses to make use of grid computing in their data centers.
The document comprises three parts: a lexicon of grid terms, a model for classifying the management and lifecycles of grid
components, and a set of use cases demonstrating requirements for grid computing. It is available for download from the alliance's
Web site, www.gridalliance.org
The model is not biased towards any one vendor, and assumes no particular technology or implementation, the alliance said.
It plans to update the text to take account of new products and developments in the market.
The alliance was formed in April 2004 with the goal of developing the use of grids in enterprise data centers. Eight companies
are on its board: EMC; Fujitsu-Siemens Computers; Hewlett-Packard; Intel; NEC; Network Appliance; Oracle; and Sun Microsystems.
Other supporters include Advanced Micro Devices; Cisco Systems; Citrix Systems; Dell; Novell; and Unisys.
Notable for their absence from the alliance are heavy hitters Microsoft and IBM.