Install-run-remove mechanism

1. A method for maintaining a hierarchical network of superior and inferior computers comprising:

querying a first inferior computer, by the superior computer, to locate a second inferior computer in the network in which to install a first application and to execute the first application, wherein the superior computer does not act as an inferior computer;

requesting the second inferior computer, by the superior computer, to install the first application and execute the first application;

transferring one or more files to the second inferior computer;

modifying the second inferior computer to install and execute the first application on the second inferior computer and recording the modifications, wherein modifying comprises allocating a resource to the first application;

halting the first application on the second inferior computer;

reversing a portion of the modifications to the second inferior computer according to the recorded modifications, wherein reversing comprises deallocating the resource from the first application; and

re-modifying the second inferior computer to install and execute a second application on the second inferior computer and recording the re-modifications, wherein the re-modifying comprises allocating the resource to the second application.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the modifying and re-modifying comprises at least one of setting a communications port or saving the one or more files to a data storage device accessible to the second inferior computer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the first application has a type;

the second application has a type; and

at least one other application running on the second inferior computer has a type; and

the method further comprises:

comparing the second application type to the first application type and to the at least one other application type; and

if the second application has the same type as either the first application or the at least one other application, reversing a portion of the modifications and allocating the resource without re-modifying the second inferior computer to install and execute the second application.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first inferior computer is the only computer that may locate available system resources in a second inferior computer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the superior computer is the only computer that may query the first inferior computer to locate available system resources in second inferior computer.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the system resources are at least one of a required number of processors, a required percentage of utilization for those processors, a main memory capacity, or a network speed.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the first inferior computer is the only computer that may locate available system resources in a second inferior computer.

8. A network comprising a plurality of computers, the network further comprising:

a first computer of the plurality of computers comprising a first application manager that manages a first application and a first grid manager for communicating with a first set of the plurality of computers in the network, wherein the first computer acts only as a first computer;

a second computer of the plurality of computers comprising a second grid manager, the second computer comprising a service, wherein the service, upon request from the first application manager, installs and executes a first application by making modifications to the second computer to install and execute the first application on the second computer while recording the modifications, wherein the modifications comprise allocating a resource to the first application manager; and

a third computer of the first set of the plurality of computers comprising a third grid manager for communicating only with the first grid manager, the second grid manager, and a second set of the plurality of computers in the network,

wherein:

the third grid manager accesses a list before communicating the request from the first application manager to the second computer, and

the list comprises information regarding resources on the second computer and the second set of the plurality of computers that are allocatable to the first application manager.

9. The network of claim 8 wherein the service, upon request from the first application manager, is configured to:

halt the first application on the second computer;

reverse a portion of the modifications to the second computer according to the recorded modifications, wherein the reversing comprises deallocating the resource from the first application manager; and

make re-modifications to the second computer to install and execute a second application on the second computer while recording the re-modifications, wherein the re-modifications comprise allocating the resource to a second application manager.

10. The network of claim 9 wherein the modifications and re-modifications comprise at least one of setting a communications port or saving the one or more files to a data storage device accessible to the second computer.

11. The network of claim 9 , wherein:

the first application has a type;

the second application has a type; and

at least one other application running on the second computer has a type; and

the network is further configured to:

compare the second application type to the first application type and to the at least one other application type; and if the second application has the same type as either the first application or the at least one other application, reverse a portion of the modifications and allocating the resource without re-modifying the second computer to install and execute the second application.

12. The network of claim 8 wherein the first computer is the only computer that may request the second computer install and execute an application program.

13. The network of claim 8 wherein the allocated resource on the second computer is at least one of a required number of processors, a required percentage of utilization for those processors, a main memory capacity, or a network speed.

14. The network of claim 13 wherein the first computer is the only computer that may locate an available resource on the second computer.