Patent ID: 7571120

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for estimating a future cost of a grid job, said method comprising: calculating, at a client system enabled to submit a particular grid job to a grid provider that facilitates a grid environment for processing said particular grid job, a ratio of an application based metric to a grid provider metric for processing said particular grid job by: distributing a job microcosm of said particular grid job from said client system to said grid provider via a network for processing in said grid environment; and responsive to receiving a result of said job microcosm and a charge for processing said job microcosm based on a grid provider metric from said grid provider, calculating at said client system said ratio of said application based metric to said grid provider metric and identifying said cost per grid provider metric from said charge for processing said job microcosm; creating by said client system, a table with an entry comparing said application based metric to a cost per grid provider metric for said grid provider with said ratio; storing, by said client system, said table with said entry for said particular grid job; and responsive to said client system detecting a next grid job classified by said at least one application metric, accessing said entry comprising said application based metric to said cost per grid provider metric for said grid provider with said radio; calculating an estimated cost for said grid provider to process said next grid job based on a particular number of application based metric operations required for said next grid job translated by said ratio into said grid provider metric and multiplied by said cost per grid provider metric.