Large-scale Distributed Systems and Energy Efficiency: A Holistic View

Preface

Jean-Marc Pierson

University Paul Sabatier Toulouse 3, France

The focus and context of the book is on energy efficiency in large-scale distributed systems. These systems consist of thousands of heterogeneous elements that communicate via heterogeneous networks and provide different memory, storage, and processing capabilities. Examples for very large-scale distributed systems are computational and data grids, data centers, clouds, core and sensor networks, and so on. The target audiences of the book are manifold: from IT and environmental researchers to operators of large-scale systems, up to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and startups willing to understand the global picture and the state of the art in the field. It helps in building strategies and understanding upcoming developments in the rapid field of energy efficiency to speedup transfer of technologies to industries.

This book is one major outcome of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action IC0804. The COST Action instrument is a 4-year funding scheme in European research framework aimed at helping the development of networks of researchers.¹ The funding goes mainly to four main objectives: (i) to organize meetings on a specific field with experts of the members' countries and to foster closer cooperations; (ii) to help exchanges of researchers through short-term scientific missions (STSM), for a duration of 1 week to several weeks; (iii) to develop the young researchers' skills in ...