WS Information Services: Key Concepts
Overview
>Uses and Benefits of the Index Service
Information Model
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Uses/Benefits of the Index Service
The Index Service provides the following key capabilities:
- An interface for connecting external Service Data Provider programs to service instances
The Index Service provides a standard mechanism for dynamic generation of service data via external programs. These external provider programs can be the core providers that are part of GT3.2 or user-created, custom providers.
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A generic framework for aggregation of service data
Service Data, which can be generated from multiple Service Data Provider programs and/or contained in messages delivered from other Grid services, can be indexed in different ways in order to provide different aggregate data views. Various command-line tools and GUIs can be used as clients to the aggregate data views. The Index Service uses standard OGSA notification mechanisms for subscription and notification of Service Data.
- A Registry of Grid services
A set of available Grid services is maintained in a Registry. A Registry allows for soft-state registration of Grid services, in that a set of services can be registered and periodically updated as required. The Index Service registry can be used to support lifetime, query, service data aggregation, or other operations on a given member service. A Registry is also known as a Service Group.
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A dynamic data-generating and indexing node, suitable for use in a hierarchy or federation of services
The Index Service combines ServiceDataProviderExecution components with DataAggregation and ServiceGroup components to create a dynamic data-generating and indexing node, similar in concept to an MDS2 hierarchical GIIS. Index Services can be combined in a variety of topologies, useful in building Virtual Organizations.