Although a glossary has been provided as a separate section, most terms are explained in the text. Additionally, the meaning of acronyms and abbreviations are often listed several times in a section. While this might seem redundant, the high number of abbreviations and acronyms in this field makes this repetition helpful. If you have questions about any abbreviations and acronyms, please check the whatis.com website, which provides a wealth of short descriptions about the often confusing vocabulary of computing.

For additional information, please see also the NLANR/DAST Guidelines for Writing High-Performance Network Applications, and the Introduction to The Grid and Globus.

Contents

1. Introduction
2. High Performance Network Connections
3. Network Performance
4. Distributed Computing Methods and Issues
5. Examples
6. Resources
7. Glossary

Conventions