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Abstract. Grids raise new challenges in the following way: heterogeneity of underlying machines/networks and runtime environments (types and performance characteristics), not a single administrative domain, versatility. So the need to have appropriate programming and runtime solutions in order to write, deploy then execute applications on such heterogeneous distributed hardware in an effective and efficient manner. We propose in this article a solution to those challenges which takes the form of a programming and deployment framework featuring parallel, mobile, secure and distributed objects and components.

This article presents an extension of the Fractal component model targeted at programming applications to be run on computing grids: the Grid Component Model (GCM). First, to address the problem of deployment of components on the Grid, deployment strategies have been de ned. Then, as Grid applications often result from the composition of a lot of parallel (sometimes identical) components, composition mechanisms to support collective communications on a set of components are introduced. Finally, because of the constantly evolving environment and requirements for Grid applications, the GCM de nes a set of features intended to support component autonomicity. All these aspects are developed in this paper with the challenging objective to ease the programming of Grid applications, while allowing GCM components to also be the unit of deployment and management