Federated Service Management (FSM) requires the flexibility to dynamically define and execute management logic at run-time. The GridScope Service Manager accomplishes this by functioning as an intermediary to mediate the management logic into the service process. As an intermediary the Service Manager shields service consumers from any changes in how services are deployed and managed at the endpoints. The Service Manager serves as a management execution layer that unifies management logic for all of the services used.

The Service Manager operates in two modes and may act in both modes simultaneously:

  Management Gateway: As a gateway, the Service Manager provides a single, well-known access point and serves as a proxy between service consumers and service providers. Connecting to the gateway is as simple as changing the access point from the endpoint service binding address to the gateway's address. This mode is recommended when dealing with external service providers.
  Management Server: As a management server, the Service Manager acts as a central server to multiple agents distributed across the service network. This mode is recommended when performance considerations owing to client-intermediary communications latency outweigh the need for zero-installation management software on the various nodes of the service network.

The Service Manager establishes control and performs its mediation functions by forming a virtual pipeline of compartmented management logic dedicated to various management functions (such as the examples below. The pipeline is designed as a set of request handlers that sequentially handle the request and response message flows. At the center of the pipeline is the service access logic. Each handler dynamically executes management logic from the appropriate configurations and policies stored in the Repository.