Difference Between Cloud Computing and Grid Computing
Computing can be done in two ways: Cloud computing and Grid computing. The former means that in place of local system, services are consumed on the internet. The latter takes care of sharing of tasks over numerous computers. Cloud computing can in fact be referred to as a kind of grid computing.
Cloud computing
The name cloud computing was devised in late 2007. The daily service usage are taken on the stored on the internet rather than on a local machine. For e.g. email and this is available in both methods. One does not need Microsoft Outlook and other applications for email purposes. Yahoo mail and Google mail have given email service to people. Hence, this service can be accessed from anywhere world over provided there is an internet connection. Cloud computing introduced various services like presentations, spread sheets and word processing, after the year 2007. Google combined services like presentation, spread sheets and word processing with Google Calendar and Gmail. Cloud computing also introduced Microsoft, which has focused mainly on cloud computing, and other applications to be used by users of internet.
Grid computing
When numerous tasks are shared over several computers, we call it Grid computing. The tasks include data storage or other complicated calculations. The dispersion of tasks can be over huge distances. Even when the computers are not in use, they can act as a part of grid. For the purpose of finishing projects, unused cycles are searched for by the grid on various computers for access. SETI@home is a very famous project of grid computing. Many volunteers are ready to give out their computers to get added on the grid and various organizations rely over them. When these computers are combined, a virtual supercomputer is invented. However, they might contain few problems but are way better and stronger than the ones used in the 70s and 80s. Due to grid computing, modern supercomputers are formed through attaching small computers together.
Through the mechanism of grid computing, various kinds of grids can be invented. One can add power and veracity to the computers through the use of manifold computers. Taking an example, the huge information that the user accesses, is managed by a data grid. Yet, there is a difference between grid computing and cluster computing. In grid computing, the computers are managed in an autonomous manner and hence there is no centralized system. The computers in grid might have dissimilar hardware or operating system.
In cloud computing, services are used on internet and not local computers whereas in grid computing tasks are shared over several computers. The power and flexibility of the network is improved in grid computing by sharing resources of manifold computers. On the other hand, this is not done in cloud computing. Cloud computing includes services such as email, spreadsheets, word processors and presentations while complicated calculations and data storage comes under grid computing.