ABSTRACT
Grid computing involves access to geographically distributed computing and data resources, and a grid-based computation usually requires defi ning a sequence of activities such as metascheduling, job submission and monitoring, fi le transfer, analysis and simulation, and data harvesting. These determine a need for an integrated platform that can provide uniform access to a variety of grid applications and services, and a need for process automation that can manage and coordinate the activities required for grid-based computation. Portal and workfl ow technologies can be employed to accommodate these needs in grid computing. A gridenabled portal can provide an integrated access to applications and services that are located throughout the grid. Workfl ow is the automation of a process where documents, information, or tasks are passed from one
participant to another to be processed, according to a set of procedural rules. In the context of service-oriented architecture, a service-based approach is often adopted to build grid workfl ow where core gridcomputation-related tasks are deployed as Web services that are then integrated as workfl ow processes.
