Wide area computing: resource sharing on a large scale

Abstract

Consider almost any computing resource today-whether hardware, software, or data-and it will invariably be networked. Computing over wide area networks has been largely ad hoc, but as needs increase, piecemeal solutions no longer make sense. The authors set out to design and build a wide-area operating system that would allow multiple organizations with diverse platforms to share and combine their resources. This system, Legion, is a network-level operating system designed from scratch to target wide-area computing demands.