Open Access

Jan Kantert, Sarah Edenhofer, Sven Tomforde, Jörg Hähner, Christian Müller-Schloer

• Desktop Computing Grids provide a framework for joining in and sharing resources with others. The result is a self-organised system that typically consists of numerous distributed autonomous entities. Openness and heterogeneity postulate severe challenges to the overall system’s stability and efficiency since uncooperative and even malicious participants are free to join. In this paper, we present a concept for identifying agents with exploitation strategies that works on a system-wide analysis of trust and work relationships. Afterwards, we introduce a system-wide control loop to isolate these malicious elements using a norm-based approach – due to the agents’ autonomy, we have to build on indirect control actions. Within simulations of a Desktop Computing Grid scenario, we show that the intelligent control loop works highly successful: these malicious elements are identified and isolated with a low error rate. We further demonstrate that the approach results in a significant increaDesktop Computing Grids provide a framework for joining in and sharing resources with others. The result is a self-organised system that typically consists of numerous distributed autonomous entities. Openness and heterogeneity postulate severe challenges to the overall system’s stability and efficiency since uncooperative and even malicious participants are free to join. In this paper, we present a concept for identifying agents with exploitation strategies that works on a system-wide analysis of trust and work relationships. Afterwards, we introduce a system-wide control loop to isolate these malicious elements using a norm-based approach – due to the agents’ autonomy, we have to build on indirect control actions. Within simulations of a Desktop Computing Grid scenario, we show that the intelligent control loop works highly successful: these malicious elements are identified and isolated with a low error rate. We further demonstrate that the approach results in a significant increa se of utility for all participating benevolent agents.…