Discovery in grid and web services environments: A survey and evaluation
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paper_title: The GRID: Blueprint for a New Computing Infrastructure

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Edited by Tianruo Yang Kluwer Academic Publisher, Dordrech, Netherlands, 1999, 248 pp. ISBN 0-7923-8588-8, $135.00 This book contains a selection of contributed and invited papers presented and the workshop Frontiers of Parallel Numerical Computations and Applications, in the IEEE 7th Symposium on the Frontiers on Massively Parallel Computers (Frontiers '99) at Annapolis, Maryland, February 20-25, 1999. Its main purpose is to update the designers and users of parallel numerical algorithms with the latest research in the field. A broad spectrum of topics on parallel numerical computations, with applications to some of the more challenging engineering problems, is covered. Parallel algorithm designers and engineers who use extensively parallel numerical computations, as well as graduate students in Computer Science, Scientific Computing, various engineering fields and applied mathematics should benefit from reading it. The first part is addressed to a larger audience and presents papers on parallel numerical algorithms. Two new libraries are presented: PSPASSES and PoLAPACK. PSPASSES is a collection of parallel direct solvers, for sparse symmetric positive definite linear systems, which are characterized by high performance and good scalability. PoLAPACK library contains LU and QR codes based on a new blocking strategy that guarantees good performance regardless of the physical block size. Next, an efficient approach to solving stiff ordinary differential equations by diagonal implicitly iterated Runge-Kutta (DIIRK) method is described. DIIRK renders a fast parallel implementation due to a reduced number of function evaluation and an automatic stepsize control mechanism. Finally, minimization of sufficiently smooth non-linear functionals is sought via parallel space decomposition. Here, a theoretical background of the problem and two equivalent algorithms are presented. New research directions for classical solvers are treated in the next three papers: first, reduction of the global synchronization in the biconjugate gradient method, second, a new more efficient Jacobi ordering for the multiple-port hypercubes, and finally, an analysis of the theoretical performance of an improved version of the Quasi-minimal residual method. Parallel numerical applications constitute the second part of the book, with results from fluid mechanics, material sciences, applications to signal and image processing, dynamic systems, semiconductor technology and electronic circuits and systems design. With one exception, the authors expose in detail parallel implementations of the algorithms and numerical results. First, a 3D-elasticity problem is solved using an additive overlapping domain decomposition algorithm. Second, an overlapping mesh technique is used in a parallel solver for the compressible flow problem. Then, a parallel version of a complex numerical algorithm to solve a lubrication problem studied in tribology is introduced. Next, a timid approach to parallel computing of the cavity flow by the finite element method is presented. The problem solved is rather small for today's needs and only up to 6 processors are used. This is also the only paper that does not present results from numerical experiments. The remaining applications discussed in the subsequent chapters are: large scale multidisciplinary design optimization problem with application to the design of a supersonic commercial aircraft, a report on progress in parallel solution of an electromagnetic scattering problem using boundary integral methods and an optimal solution to the convection-diffusion equation modeling the concentration of a pollutant in the air. The book is of definite interest to readers who keep up-to-date with the parallel numerical computation research. The main purpose, to present the novel ideas, results and work in progress and advancing state-of-the-art techniques in the area of parallel and distributed computing for numerical and computational optimization problems in scientific and engineering application is clearly achieved. However, due to its content it cannot serve as a textbook for a computer science or engineering class. Overall, is a reference type book to be kept by specialists and in a library rather than a book to be purchased for self-introduction to the field. Most of the papers presented are results of ongoing research and so they rely heavily on previous results. On the other hand, with only one exception, the results presented in the papers are a great source of information for the researchers currently involved in the field. Michelle Pal, Los Alamos National Laboratory
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paper_title: A shared service terminology for online service provisioning

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An extensive literature research in the fields of IT and business science reveals that service-related terms as service and e-service have multiple interpretations within business science, information science and computer science, resulting in confusion. These three communities take part in the multi-disciplinary process of realizing e-Commerce scenarios for services. Each community has its own role in e-service offering, and uses its own terminology. In this paper we analyze the different perspectives that these three communities have on the online service provisioning concept. We introduce different meanings of service-related terms in the three communities, and use a real-world case study to show how all three perspectives and terminologies need to be joined with each other for the realization of collaborative e-Commerce scenarios for service offerings on the Semantic Web.An extensive literature research in the fields of IT and business science reveals that service-related terms as service and e-service have multiple interpretations within business science, information science and computer science, resulting in confusion. These three communities take part in the multi-disciplinary process of realizing e-Commerce scenarios for services. Each community has its own role in e-service offering, and uses its own terminology. In this paper we analyze the different perspectives that these three communities have on the online service provisioning concept. We introduce different meanings of service-related terms in the three communities, and use a real-world case study to show how all three perspectives and terminologies need to be joined with each other for the realization of collaborative e-Commerce scenarios for service offerings on the Semantic Web.
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paper_title: The physiology of the grid: An open grid services architecture for distributed systems integration

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In both e-business and e-science, we often need to integrate services across distributed, heterogeneous, dynamic “virtual organizations” formed from the disparate resources within a single enterprise and/or from external resource sharing and service provider relationships. This integration can be technically challenging because of the need to achieve various qualities of service when running on top of different native platforms. We present an Open Grid Services Architecture that addresses these challenges. Building on concepts and technologies from the Grid and Web services communities, this architecture defines a uniform exposed service semantics (the Grid service); defines standard mechanisms for creating, naming, and discovering transient Grid service instances; provides location transparency and multiple protocol bindings for service instances; and supports integration with underlying native platform facilities. The Open Grid Services Architecture also defines, in terms of Web Services Description Language (WSDL) interfaces and associated conventions, mechanisms required for creating and composing sophisticated distributed systems, including lifetime management, change management, and notification. Service bindings can support reliable invocation, authentication, authorization, and delegation, if required. Our presentation complements an earlier foundational article, “The Anatomy of the Grid,” by describing how Grid mechanisms can implement a service-oriented architecture, explaining how Grid functionality can be incorporated into a Web services framework, and illustrating how our architecture can be applied within commercial computing as a basis for distributed system integration—within and across organizational domains. This is a DRAFT document and continues to be revised. The latest version can be found at http://www.globus.org/research/papers/ogsa.pdf. Please send comments to foster@mcs.anl.gov, carl@isi.edu, jnick@us.ibm.com, tuecke@mcs.anl.gov Physiology of the Grid 2
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paper_title: Larks: Dynamic Matchmaking Among Heterogeneous Software Agents in Cyberspace

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Service matchmaking among heterogeneous software agents in the Internet is usually done dynamically and must be efficient. There is an obvious trade-off between the quality and efficiency of matchmaking on the Internet. We define a language called Larks for agent advertisements and requests, and present a flexible and efficient matchmaking process that uses Larks. The Larks matchmaking process performs both syntactic and semantic matching, and in addition allows the specification of concepts (local ontologies) via ITL, a concept language. The matching process uses five different filters: context matching, profile comparison, similarity matching, signature matching and constraint matching. Different degrees of partial matching can result from utilizing different combinations of these filters. We briefly report on our implementation of Larks and the matchmaking process in Java. Fielded applications of matchmaking using Larks in several application domains for systems of information agents are ongoing efforts.
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paper_title: Globus: a Metacomputing Infrastructure Toolkit

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The Globus system is intended to achieve a vertically integrated treatment of application, middleware, and net work. A low-level toolkit provides basic mechanisms such as communication, authentication, network information, and data access. These mechanisms are used to con struct various higher level metacomputing services, such as parallel programming tools and schedulers. The long- term goal is to build an adaptive wide area resource environment AWARE, an integrated set of higher level services that enable applications to adapt to heteroge neous and dynamically changing metacomputing environ ments. Preliminary versions of Globus components were deployed successfully as part of the I-WAY networking experiment.
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paper_title: Ontology-based Resource Matching in the Grid — The Grid meets the Semantic Web

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The Grid is an emerging technology for enabling resource sharing and coordinated problem solving in dynamic multi-institutional virtual organizations. In the Grid environment, shared resources and users typically span different organizations. The resource matching problem in the Grid involves assigning resources to tasks in order to satisfy task requirements and resource policies. These requirements and policies are often expressed in disjoint application and resource models, forcing a resource selector to perform semantic matching between the two. In this paper, we propose a flexible and extensible approach for solving resource matching in the Grid using semantic web technologies. We have designed and prototyped an ontology-based resource selector that exploits ontologies, background knowledge, and rules for solving resource matching in the Grid.
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paper_title: Semantic Matching of Web Services Capabilities

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The Web is moving from being a collection of pages toward a collection of services that interoperate through the Internet. The first step toward this interoperation is the location of other services that can help toward the solution of a problem. In this paper we claim that location of web services should be based on the semantic match between a declarative description of the service being sought, and a description of the service being offered. Furthermore, we claim that this match is outside the representation capabilities of registries such as UDDI and languages such as WSDL.We propose a solution based on DAML-S, a DAML-based language for service description, and we show how service capabilities are presented in the Profile section of a DAML-S description and how a semantic match between advertisements and requests is performed.
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paper_title: The UNICORE Grid Infrastructure

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UNICORE (Uniform Interface to Computer Resources) is a software infrastructure supporting seamless and secure access to distributed resources. UNICORE allows uniform access to different hardware and software platforms as well as different organizational environments. Based on the abstract job model it offers services for security, translation of abstract jobs into real batch jobs for different target systems, and a public key infrastructure. This paper describes the UNICORE architecture and the services provided.
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paper_title: Ontology-based Resource Matching in the Grid — The Grid meets the Semantic Web

paper_content:

The Grid is an emerging technology for enabling resource sharing and coordinated problem solving in dynamic multi-institutional virtual organizations. In the Grid environment, shared resources and users typically span different organizations. The resource matching problem in the Grid involves assigning resources to tasks in order to satisfy task requirements and resource policies. These requirements and policies are often expressed in disjoint application and resource models, forcing a resource selector to perform semantic matching between the two. In this paper, we propose a flexible and extensible approach for solving resource matching in the Grid using semantic web technologies. We have designed and prototyped an ontology-based resource selector that exploits ontologies, background knowledge, and rules for solving resource matching in the Grid.
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paper_title: Grid information services for distributed resource sharing

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Grid technologies enable large-scale sharing of resources within formal or informal consortia of individuals and/or institutions: what are sometimes called virtual organizations. In these settings, the discovery, characterization, and monitoring of resources, services, and computations are challenging problems due to the considerable diversity; large numbers, dynamic behavior, and geographical distribution of the entities in which a user might be interested. Consequently, information services are a vital part of any Grid software infrastructure, providing fundamental mechanisms for discovery and monitoring, and hence for planning and adapting application behavior. We present an information services architecture that addresses performance, security, scalability, and robustness requirements. Our architecture defines simple low-level enquiry and registration protocols that make it easy to incorporate individual entities into various information structures, such as aggregate directories that support a variety of different query languages and discovery strategies. These protocols can also be combined with other Grid protocols to construct additional higher-level services and capabilities such as brokering, monitoring, fault detection, and troubleshooting. Our architecture has been implemented as MDS-2, which forms part of the Globus Grid toolkit and has been widely deployed and applied.
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paper_title: A Software Framework for Matchmaking Based on Semantic Web Technology

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The semantic Web can make e-commerce interactions more flexible and automated by standardizing ontologies, message content, and message protocols. This paper investigates how semantic and Web Services technologies can be used to support service advertisement and discovery in e-commerce. In particular, it describes the design and implementation of a service matchmaking prototype that uses a DAML -S based ontology and a description logic reasoner to compare ontology-based service descriptions. By representing the semantics of service descriptions, the matchmaker enables the behavior of an intelligent agent to approach more closely that of a human user trying to locate suitable Web services. The performance of this prototype implementation was tested in a realistic agent-based e-commerce scenario.
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paper_title: Semantic Matching of Web Services Capabilities

paper_content:

The Web is moving from being a collection of pages toward a collection of services that interoperate through the Internet. The first step toward this interoperation is the location of other services that can help toward the solution of a problem. In this paper we claim that location of web services should be based on the semantic match between a declarative description of the service being sought, and a description of the service being offered. Furthermore, we claim that this match is outside the representation capabilities of registries such as UDDI and languages such as WSDL.We propose a solution based on DAML-S, a DAML-based language for service description, and we show how service capabilities are presented in the Profile section of a DAML-S description and how a semantic match between advertisements and requests is performed.
---
paper_title: Globus: a Metacomputing Infrastructure Toolkit

paper_content:

The Globus system is intended to achieve a vertically integrated treatment of application, middleware, and net work. A low-level toolkit provides basic mechanisms such as communication, authentication, network information, and data access. These mechanisms are used to con struct various higher level metacomputing services, such as parallel programming tools and schedulers. The long- term goal is to build an adaptive wide area resource environment AWARE, an integrated set of higher level services that enable applications to adapt to heteroge neous and dynamically changing metacomputing environ ments. Preliminary versions of Globus components were deployed successfully as part of the I-WAY networking experiment.
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paper_title: A Software Framework for Matchmaking Based on Semantic Web Technology

paper_content:

The semantic Web can make e-commerce interactions more flexible and automated by standardizing ontologies, message content, and message protocols. This paper investigates how semantic and Web Services technologies can be used to support service advertisement and discovery in e-commerce. In particular, it describes the design and implementation of a service matchmaking prototype that uses a DAML -S based ontology and a description logic reasoner to compare ontology-based service descriptions. By representing the semantics of service descriptions, the matchmaker enables the behavior of an intelligent agent to approach more closely that of a human user trying to locate suitable Web services. The performance of this prototype implementation was tested in a realistic agent-based e-commerce scenario.
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paper_title: Semantic Matching of Web Services Capabilities

paper_content:

The Web is moving from being a collection of pages toward a collection of services that interoperate through the Internet. The first step toward this interoperation is the location of other services that can help toward the solution of a problem. In this paper we claim that location of web services should be based on the semantic match between a declarative description of the service being sought, and a description of the service being offered. Furthermore, we claim that this match is outside the representation capabilities of registries such as UDDI and languages such as WSDL.We propose a solution based on DAML-S, a DAML-based language for service description, and we show how service capabilities are presented in the Profile section of a DAML-S description and how a semantic match between advertisements and requests is performed.
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Title: Discovery in Grid and Web Services Environments: A Survey and Evaluation

Section 1: Introduction
Description 1: Describe the significance of Service-Oriented Architectures (SOAs), the roles of Grid Computing and Web Services, and introduce the problem of discovery in these domains and the structure of the paper.

Section 2: Terminology
Description 2: Define key terms such as Grid, Service, Web Service, Resource, and Discovery to establish a common understanding for evaluating discovery mechanisms.

Section 3: Evaluation Framework
Description 3: Present the evaluation framework used in this paper, listing and describing the criteria applied for evaluating discovery approaches in Grid and Web services environments.

Section 4: Survey and Evaluation
Description 4: Use the evaluation framework to survey and evaluate some of the most prominent discovery approaches in Grid and Web services environments.

Section 5: Summary
Description 5: Summarize the evaluated approaches, highlighting their important features and extracting common best practices from various approaches.

Section 6: Related Work and Conclusions
Description 6: Provide a brief overview of related work in the field of discovery in Grid and Web services environments and present the conclusions drawn from the evaluation framework applied in this paper.