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DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION
FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY / OCTOBER 6, 2003: VOL. 2 NO. 40
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Special Features:
COMMERCIAL CONSORTIUM COULD
COMPLEMENT GGF
Following is a letter from Ahmar Abbas:
Many people have asked me to expand on my comments supporting a new,
commercially focused Grid consortium. So, here goes.
At the outset, let me say that I have not had any conversations with
Oracle,
nor do I have any indication of what its goals are for the new Grid consortium
other than what has been published in the press. However, after covering the
Grid space for the last two years, and in that process meeting vendors (many
of whom are GGF members) and end users, I do feel that the time is ripe for a
separate commercial Grid consortium whose focus would be solely to accelerate
the adoption of Grid computing in enterprises worldwide. The key areas that
this organization should focus on are as follows:
- Implementation agreements on existing standards or impending
standards
- Test procedures for interoperability
- Position statements to propose new standards for existing standards
bodies
- Technical specifications of new standards if existing standards are not
sufficient
- Market evangelism and awareness (through Interoperability events,
collateral etc)
- Liaisons with vertical industry specific consortia such as I3C, SIA,
etc.
The benefits of the new Grid consortium will manifest themselves in many
ways.
One such way would be to develop implementation agreements on existing
standards. The role that the Global Grid Forum is playing by creating a solid
base of standards for Grid computing infrastructure technology is essential.
Its success in releasing OGSA/OGSI specification is to be lauded. Yet, I have
seen no funded commitment (with dates) from vendors to adopt this
specification. Who creates the urgency for this to happen? This is where the
new Grid consortium would play a key role. By setting up interoperability
events, or developing a product certification program, the new Grid consortium
will force many of the companies to put stakes in the ground and go beyond
just tacit support. Additionally, this would provide concrete examples to the
end user community that the vendors have taken the initiative in working out
implementation issues.
There are many examples where such an industry organization effectively
complements a standards body. Optical Internetworking Forum, MPLS Forum and
others would be examples from the telecommunications world that I would put
forth as appropriate models.
If you agree with me that functions outlined in the charter above are
essential for the success of this technology, then the next step would be to
determine whether this charter should be and can be accomplished within the
confines of the GGF. I remain convinced that the standards development role of
the GGF is one that should be preserved, while the market-focused activities
to promote the technology should be handled by the new Grid consortium. At
best this model will create two organizations that work hand in hand in coming
up with the best solutions for commercial success of Grid computing, at worst,
they will inspire valuable creative tension in the industry.
I'd be happy to hear your suggestions.
Ahmar Abbas
Managing Director
Grid Technology Partners
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