CONVERGED NETWORKS AND THE GRID: 21 ST CENTURY INFRASTRUCTURE CHALLENGES
Samir Chatterjee · 2002
This tutorial paper discusses issues in two fundamental technology paradigms, namely, “network convergence” and “Grid” that will become the foundation of the 21 st century information infrastructure. These emerging networking and computing technologies are poised to impact education, research, and business. We present packet voice and video architectures and discuss fundamental changes taking place within the telecommunications industry due to convergence to the Internet Protocol. The impacts of network convergence on carriers, enterprises and service providers are presented. We then discuss the impact on end-users and the importance of public policy to promote competition in the convergence space. Finally, we present the “Grid” computing architectures which is an emerging field distinguished from conventional computing by its focus on large-scale resource sharing, innovative applications, and, in some cases, high-performance orientation. Both the core technological components and the value proposition for businesses are discussed.