The German grid initiative: A uniform accounting service in multiple middleware environments

Abstract

The development of business models is of great importance for the German Grid inititive D-Grid, which is trying to establish a sustainable and self-financing long-term operating e-science infrastructure all over Germany. To guarantee the continuity and future growth of this infrastructure it is necessary to become independent of limited public funding and achieve the required revenues by chargeable services, support and developments. The business model of the German Grid Support Organization comprises the development, provision and support of generic services for the usage by all Grid communities within D-Grid. The realization of these business models is based on the development of a comprehensive accounting service that enables a seamless recording of the usage of all resources. The special challenge lies in the heterogeneous middlewares, used within D-Grid. The paper describes the development of a highly integrative accounting system as a component of the service portfolio of the German Grid Support Organization. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.