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Book Reviews
The Tech Hotlist: Grid Computing and P2P
Milan Lathia a Gridalogy and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
From P2P to Web Services and Grids: Peers in a Client Server World
By Ian J. Taylor
275 pages
US$64.95
Springer, 2004
ISBN: 1-852-33869-5
P2P (peer-to-peer) and grid computing are hot new technologies that have been
touted by the media and are popular in academic and industrial circles. From P2P
to Web Services and Grids: Peers in a Client Server World provides a
comprehensive, updated review of the new and improved distributed computing
technology formed by the union of computing and communications.
As Ian J. Taylor points out, he wrote the book primarily for university students.
Ita (TM)s written like a textbook, and very well, too. You need a computing foundation
and some familiarity with grid computing to grasp all the concepts. The book does,
however, give a good overview of the technology before delving too deeply into
the details. Each chapter builds the technical know-how needed for the next one.
Taylor is a professor at the University of Cardiff. The book is based largely on his
online notes on P2P and distributed systems, which have been valuable to many
students, including me. In addition, the book explains in detail recent technologies
such as JXTA, Jini, Globus, and Freenet. Taylor also gives security, a rising
concern with grid computing, the attention it deserves. He provides additional
references for each chapter if you need more detail.
The book has four parts: Distributed Environments; Middleware, Applications, and
Supporting Technologies; Middleware Deployment; and From Web Services to
Future Grids. The distributed-environments section works as an orientation and an
introduction to many grid-computing-related concepts. It talks about P2P (peer-topeer),
Web services, and grid-computing technologies. It covers the concept of
distributed computing and P2P, their history, the technology, and academic and
industrial applications. The grid-computing chapter is well written, with good
information on the Globus Toolkit and the grid architecture. This section sets the
tone of the book by introducing and explaining the basic principles of distributed
computinga the backbone of P2P and grid computing.
The second section explores several well-known P2P and distributed computing
technologies such as Jini and JXTA. Taylor uses code snippets to simplify many
complex concepts used in these technologies. He also introduces signatures,
encryption, and other related technologies. The analogical and simplified
explanations of key concepts such as virtual organization, network topology, and
addressing are well done. Additionally, this section details Gnutella and Freenet,
two of the most popular P2P file-sharing mechanisms. Although neither Taylor nor His explanation does justice to file-sharing software concepts and technology. This
section also looks in depth at concerns such as scalability and security. Not many
authors have written in detail about security for grid computing.
The third section includes chapters on severaldemo applications and code
examples for using different technologies in grid computing. You can download
and run the sample code from the companion Web site. The section details and
demonstrates the power of Jini, JXTA, and related Web services.
The final section covers various grid technologies. Services based on the Grid
Computing Architecture and OGSA (Open Grid Services Architecture) reintroduce
the notion of state to a Web service.a P2P and grid computing are becoming
extremely popular and require much effort in terms of standardization. The section
also brings up issues such as the drawbacks of OGSI (Open Grid Services
Infrastructure).
The book is an easy read and makes many complex concepts easy to
understand. Its small size encouraged me to bring it along during business trips.
The book explains and correlates many P2P and grid-related concepts. Being in
the grid-computing business, I own many books on the subject, and From P2P to
Web Services and Grids: Peers in a Client Server World is a valuable addition to
my collection.
The book is a must for all grid-computing professionals and a good read for
enthusiasts and those who are curious about the technologies.
Milan Lathia is the president of Gridalogy, a grid software services and research company, and a
mastera (TM)s student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Contact him at
[email protected].
Related Links
l DS Online's Peer-to-Peer Community
l DS Online's Grid Computing Community
l A Loosely Coupled Vision for Computational Grids
l A Scalable P2P Platform for the Knowledge Grid
Cite this article:
Milan Lathia, The Tech Hotlist: Grid Computing and P2P, review of From P2P to Web Services and
Grids: Peers in a Client Server World by Ian J. Taylor, IEEE Distributed Systems Online, vol. 6, no. 11,
2005.
Review
From the reviews: "Provides rich background information to beginners entering this subject area. ... The diagrams ... are clear-cut, as are the snippets of codes. There are hardly any errors throughout the book. ... covers a broad and coherent range of distributed-computing techniques ... . People with different programming abilities, even those who have never written a single line of code ... learn a lot from it. ... recommend the book to anyone interested in distributed computing, especially students in the field of distributed computing ... ." (Haoyang Che, THE COMPUTER JOUNAL, Vol. 48(3), 2005) "Specialists working on different types of novel distributed computing systems will like this book. It will be of interest, for instance, to peer-to-peer (P2P) developers who want to know how a somewhat similar idea of grid computing works, and the other way around. It would also be a good choice for laymen who are looking for a good textbook on these topics. ... For people involved with the Internet, this book is a really enjoyable journey through a number of hot topics." (Piotr Cholda, ACM Computing Reviews, July, 2009)
Synopsis
Over the past several years, Internet users have changed in their usage p- terns from predominately client/server-based Web server interactions to also involving the use of more decentralized applications, where they contribute more equally in the role of the application as a whole, and further to d- tributed communities based around the Web. Distributed systems take many forms, appear in many areas and range from truly decentralized systems, like Gnutella, Skype and Jxta, centrally indexed brokered systems like Web s- vices and Jini and centrally coordinated systems like SETI@home. From P2P and Grids and Services on the Web Evolving Distributed Communities provides a comprehensive overview of the emerging trends in peer-to-peer (P2P), distributed objects, Web Services, the Web, and Grid computing technologies, which have rede ned the way we think about d- tributed computing and the Internet. The book has four main themes: d- tributed environments, protocols and architectures for applications, protocols and architectures focusing on middleware and nally deployment of these middleware systems, providing real-world examples of their usage.
Synopsis
Peers In A Client Server World provides a comprehensive overview of emerging peer-to-peer (P2P) technologies that have revolutionized the way we think about distributed computing and the internet. These technologies are compared to alternative solutions, most notably web services and Grid computing but also other technologies, such as client/server based systems and agent technologies. A wide range of diverse middleware and application-based technologies are covered, such as JXTA, Jini, Globus, Web services, OGSA, J2EE, Napster and Gnutella, with an emphasis given on the architecture employed and security model chosen. Each technology and its capabilities are analyzed in the context of the degree of centralization or decentralization they employ. A resulting taxonomy is created that gives the reader a context in which to consider the most advanced and broad ranging distributed systems available today, and provides them with an essential reference text for designing new distributed systems.
Synopsis
Internet usage has evolved from a predominately client/server-based Web server interaction to additionally involving the use of more decentralized applications - through which users contribute more equally in the role of the application as a whole - and still further to distributed communities based around the Web. This broad-ranging new edition of a classic textbook/reference provides a comprehensive overview of emerging distributed-systems technologies and has been significantly enhanced and extended to cover the many new, state-of-the-art infrastructures and technologies that have since appeared. The focus is also broadened, retaining the technical aspects, but additionally including useful historical contexts for each of the technologies. Features: • Fills in the gaps and includes an additional 8 chapters on highly popular developments, including BitTorrent, Web Services specifications and Web 2.0, as well as the underlying technologies used by these • Includes helpful learning tools to aid the reader's understanding, such as a thorough foundational introduction, end-of-chapter conclusions, and pointers to online information for further reading, etc. • Offers a more applied approach, with a comprehensive representation of the distributed systems field • Describes various possible communication methods from history and the basic connectivity • Presents a unique combination of P2P, Web services and grid technologies discussion that is both in-depth and accessible • Provides additional helpful info at www.p2pgridbook.com This easy-to-follow textbook/reference retains the detailed aspects of the successful first edition and is now substantially expanded, providing the reader with a comprehensive context in which to consider the most advanced and broad-ranging distributed systems available today. It is an essential reference text for designing new distributed systems, offering invaluable insight to both students and researchers. Ian J. Taylor is a senior lecturer in the School of Computer Science at Cardiff University, teaching two Distributed Systems courses. He holds an adjunct assistant professorship at Louisiana State University and consults independently with the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C. Andrew Harrison is a research fellow/associate, also in the School of Computer Science at Cardiff University.
Synopsis
This new edition provides a comprehensive overview of emerging distributed-systems technologies and includes many state-of-the-art infrastructures and technologies. It also offers exercises and historical contexts for each of the technologies.
Synopsis
Covers a comprehensive range of P2P and Grid technologies. Provides a broad overview of the P2P field and how it relates to other technologies, such as Grid Computing, jini, Agent based computing, and web services.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Distributed Systems Peer-2-Peer Systems Gnutella Scalability Security Freenet Jxta P2P Deployment Using Jxta Jini Distributed Object Deployment Using Jini Grid Computing Web Services Web Services Deployment OGSA