An incentive-based heuristic job scheduling algorithm for utility grids

• We consider incentives for both grid users and resource providers.
• We optimize successful execution rate of jobs, combined cost, and profit fairness.
• We propose a heuristic scheduling algorithm called CGPA algorithm.
• CGPA algorithm results in better scheduling in terms of the three objectives.

Job scheduling in utility grids should take into account the incentives for both grid users and resource providers. However, most of existing studies on job scheduling in utility grids only address the incentive for one party, i.e., either the users or the resource providers. Very few studies on job scheduling in utility grids consider incentives for both parties, in which the cost, one of the most attractive incentives for users, is not addressed. In this paper, we study the job scheduling in utility grid by optimizing the incentives for both parties. We propose a multi-objective optimization approach, i.e., maximizing the successful execution rate of jobs and minimizing the combined cost (incentives for grid users), and minimizing the fairness deviation of profits (incentive for resource providers). The proposed multi-objective optimization approach could offer sufficient incentives for the two parties to stay and play in the utility grid. A heuristic scheduling algorithm called Cost-Greedy Price-Adjusting (CGPA) algorithm is developed to optimize the incentives for both parties. Simulation results show that the CGPA algorithm is effective and could lead to higher successful execution rate, lower combined cost and lower fairness deviation compared with some popular algorithms in most cases.