Grids and Private Networks are Antithetical
Andrew Martin and Carl Cook
Abstract
Achievement of suitable security in Grids is a hard and multi-faceted problem. The deployment of Grids over Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) has been proposed as a (partial) solution. We draw on the experience of the UK e-Science programme, the PlanetLab project, and the New Zealand Grid experience to show that there is a significant mismatch between the capabilities offered by VPNs and the properties required by Grids. Moreover, we argue that by giving attention to Grids implemented in private networks, certain security issues may be overlooked for too long.