Testing computer grid infrastructure
A computer grid resembles a computer network in many respects. However, the size of a grid is much larger in the sense that it involves many more geographically dispersed computer units. The CROSSGRID project has achieved the difficult task of constructing a grid involving nine European countries and sixteen different institutions. The computing capabilities of a grid of this size enable the handling of enormous amounts of data. Immediate applications in a number of scientific fields are expected. High quality visualisation can be applied in medical procedures and distributed data analysis is a very efficient tool in high-energy physics. Furthermore, elaborate grid based decision support systems may substantially aid crisis teams. For the CROSSGRID project the development of an international testbed has been a major achievement. The testbed facilitates the running of applications in real grid environments and offers the possibility of accurately evaluating the grids' performance. Specifically, the international grid computing infrastructure, the CROSSGRID testbed, provided a distributed resource facility. Different work packages developed have been tested on the grid framework. The testbed has supported the construction of sites at project partners' national level while at the same time it has greatly facilitated the integration of all national facilities involved in the project. With the aid of the testbed, software developed by project partners within the course of the project, has also been integrated. Furthermore, the developed testbed is exceptionally user friendly and capable of collaborating with other developed grids. Facilitating thorough evaluation of grids' performance and resolving organisational and security issues, the CROSSGRID testbed is the framework for a new category of applications in medicine, environmental control, and physics.