Patent ID: 8108864

Claim:
A method of tracking arbitrary task dependencies on computers in a grid environment, said method comprising: downloading a task to a computer coupled to said grid environment; identifying the dependencies necessary to perform said task; downloading dependency executable on said computer, said dependency executable comprising computer programs to check for a presence of said dependencies on said computer; executing said downloaded dependency executable on said computer; when said dependencies are satisfied, executing said task on said computer, and returning results of said task to a grid server of said grid environment; when said dependencies are checked and are not satisfied on said computer, returning an error for said task to said grid server, recording the dependencies that failed as not satisfied for said computer, recording a timestamp indicating when said dependencies were checked; and assigning a task to a particular computer coupled to said grid environment if one of: there are no recorded failed dependencies required for said task associated with said particular computer, and if there is a recorded dependency failure and said timestamp associated with said recorded dependency failure is of a predetermined age; recording each particular dependency satisfied for said computer, when a task requiring said dependencies is executed on said computer; and recording a timestamp indicating when each particular dependency was satisfied for said computer, when a task requiring said dependencies is executed on said computer.