Coordinating use of independent external resources within requesting grid environments

A method for coordinating use of independent external resources within a grid environment, comprising:

• enabling a grid environment comprising a plurality of computing systems each comprising at least one resource and communicatively connected over a network through a grid management system to share each said at least one resource through a plurality of web services comprising simple object access protocol, web services description language, and extensible mark-up language interfaces implemented within a web service layer extended by an open grid services infrastructure atop a grid service layer implemented within an open grid services architecture;
• self-registering, by an external resource dispatcher, with said grid management system and at least one additional grid management system;
• receiving, at said external resource dispatcher, a request for resources from said grid management system, wherein said grid management system registers each said at least one resource for use within said grid environment, wherein a plurality of external resources are managed by said external resource dispatcher independent from each said at least one resource registered by said grid management system;
• coordinating dispatch by said external resource dispatcher of a selection of external resources from among said plurality of external resources for temporary registration with said grid management system by said external resource dispatcher sending a request to said selection of external resources to join said grid environment and sending at least one network address and permission for said selection of external resources to said grid management system, such that use of said selection of external resources is coordinated when said plurality of grid resources already registered for use within said a grid environment are insufficient;
• responsive to said grid management system receiving said at least one network address and permission for said selection of external resources, sending by said grid management system an acknowledgement to said selection of external resources to invite said selection of external resources to join said grid environment;
• responsive to said selection of external resources receiving said acknowledgement from said grid management system, attaching by said external resources to said grid management system and directing by said external resources said external resource dispatcher to monitor a connectivity heartbeat between said selection of external resources and said grid management system;
• responsive to said external resource dispatcher detecting said direction to monitor said connectivity heartbeat from said external resources attached to said grid management system, metering the use of said selection of external resources by said grid management system and monitoring said connectivity heartbeat between said grid management system and said selection of external resources;
• and
• responsive to said external resource dispatcher detecting a failed network connectivity heartbeat from said grid management system or said selection of external resources, retrieving said selection of external resources from said grid environment and stopping said metering of said user of said selection of external resources.