MACE: A Multi-Attribute Combinatorial Exchange

Abstract

The Grid is a promising technology for providing access to
distributed high-end computational capabilities. Thus, computational
tasks can be performed spontaneously by other resources in the Grid
that are not under the user's control. However, one of the key
problems in the Grid is deciding which jobs are to be allocated to
which resources at what time. In this context, the use of market
mechanisms for scheduling and allocating Grid resources is a
promising approach toward solving these problems. This paper
proposes an auction mechanism for allocating and scheduling computer
resources such as processors or storage space which have multiple
quality attributes. The mechanism is evaluated according to its
economic and computational performance as well as its practical
applicability by means of a simulation.