Boosting gLite with cloud augmented volunteer computing

•One of the aims of EDGI project is to integrate gLite and BOINC systems.•Volunteer resources provides a huge computational capacity that can be utilized by gLite users.•Untrusted/unstable volunteer resources ends up in tail-effect causing longer completion time.•Integrated cloud resource eliminates tail and reduces completion time significantly.•Algorithm is designed to recognize and to redirect workunits causing the tail.

The paper details the result of the EU FP7 EDGI project focusing on the cloud developments and usability improvements. Volunteer desktop grids, like BOINC, are designed to handle millions of parameter sweep type jobs and millions of desktop machines as worker nodes. Seamless transfer of gLite jobs to desktop grids was already implemented by EDGI; however this huge number of DG resources could not be utilized efficiently due to slow completion time caused by unpredictable behavior of the volunteer resources. The paper details how clouds have been utilized to shorten completion time on the EDGeS@home volunteer desktop grid to boost the performance of the supported gLite VO and also details how this service can be exploited by the gLite user communities of EGI (European Grid Initiative) all over Europe.