GridAnt: a client-controllable grid workflow system

Process management is an extremely important concept in both business and scientific communities. Several workflow management tools have been proposed in recent years offering advanced functionality in various domains. In the business world, workflow vendors offer commercial and customized solutions targeting specific users. In the scientific world, several open-source workflow management tools are freely available. However they are directed toward service aggregation rather than distributed process management. Little consideration is given to the needs of the client in terms of mapping the process flow of the client. In the grid community it is essential that the grid users have such a tool available enabling them to orchestrate complex work-flows on the fly without substantial help from the service providers. At the same time it is important that the grid user not be burdened with the intricacies of the workflow system. With the perspective of the grid user in mind, an extensible client-side workflow management system, called GridAnt, has been developed. This paper discusses the design principles, functionality, and application of the proposed GridAnt workflow manager.