User General user intro grid
Goal
The goal of this page is to define the basic key concepts of grid computing in order to be able to understand the technical documentation of this Wiki.
What is grid computing ?
It is a way to integrate and manage some computing services and resources in a heterogeneous and distributed environment in order to support collection of users and resources across traditional administrative, trust and organizational boundaries.
You will find a more detailed explanation on this page.
EGI grid computing terminology
Below you will find definitions of the main concepts that are being used in the context of the EGI grid. You will find a complete glossary on this page.
Virtual Organizations
Virtual organizations (or VOs) are groups of researchers with similar scientific interests and requirements, who are able to work collaboratively with other members and/or share resources (e.g. data, software, expertise, CPU, storage space), regardless of geographical location.
Researchers must join a VO in order to use grid computing resources. Each virtual organization manages its own membership list, according to the VO’s requirements and goals.
Computing and storage resources
In the world of grid computing, the batch systems are called Compute Element (or CE), and mass storage system are called Storage Element (or SE).
User Interfaces
A User Interface (or UI) is a server equipped with the software tools you need to work in the grid. Thanks to UIs, you don't need to install these tools on your personal computer.
