The MicroGrid toolkit emulates a variety of grid configurations and
dynamic behaviors, supporting controlled studies and allowing computer
scientists and application scientists to experiment systematically with
a variety of grid configuration and dynamic resource environments. Such
resource-controlled studies enable characterization of Grid software
capability to adapt to the conditions of the computing environment.
Controlled studies are an essential complement to full-scale deployment
of dynamic systems, allowing exploration of system stability, performance
stability, and robustness versus a variety of resource management regimens.
MicroGrid studies allow exploration of a larger space than typically
occurs, providing an opportunity for a grounded understanding of system
overload or other unexpected dynamic behavior. In addition, because
MicroGrid studies can be more easily instrumented, such studies provide
a vehicle for improving our understanding of how to build robust Grid
applications and systems.