The ARDA Metadata Grid Application (AMGA)[1] is a general purpose metadata catalogue and part of the gLite middleware

distribution. It was developed by the EGEE project, when it became clear that many Grid applications needed metadata information on files and to organize a work-flow.[2] AMGA is now developed and supported by a collaboration of CERN, INFN in Catania and KISTI in Korea. AMGA as a metadata services allows users to attach metadata information to files stored on the Grid, where metadata can be any relationally organized data typically stored in a relational database system (RDBMS). In addition, the metadata in AMGA can also be stored independently of any associated files, which allows to use AMGA as a general access tool to relational databases on the Grid. AMGA features a simple to learn metadata access language, which has been very useful for the adoption of AMGA in smaller Grid applications, as it lowers the technical hurdle to make use of relational data considerably. Of course also access via SQL92 is supported. One of the main features of AMGA and unique to it, is the possibility to replicate metadata between different AMGA instances allowing the federation of metadata [3] (e.g. By the Health-e-child project), but also to increase the scalability and improve the access times on a globally deployed Grid (as done by the Wisdom project). Performance and efficiency of the access across WANs has been independently targeted by an access protocol optimsed for the bulk transfer of metadata across WANs using data streaming. Security on the Grid is a major concern and AMGA features different authentication methods via (Grid-Proxy-) Certificates as well as very flexible accesses control mechanisms for individual data items based on ACLs.[4] In particular these security features have made AMGA the de facto standard for metadata and relational database access on the Grid for biomedical applications. Prominent projects making use of AMGA in this field are Wisdom where AMGA was used in both their campaigns against Avian Flu and malaria, and the Health e-Child project. VOMS is an acronym used for Virtual Organization Membership Service in grid computing. It is structured as a simple account database with fixed formats for the information exchange and features single login, expiration time, backward compatibility, and multiple virtual organizations. The database is manipulated by authorization data that defines specific capabilities and roles for users. Administrative tools can be used by administrators to assign roles and capability information in the database. A command-line tool allows users to generate a local proxy credential based on the contents of the VOMS database. This credential includes the basic authentication information that standard Grid proxy credentials contain, but it also includes role and capability information from the VOMS server. VOMS-aware applications can use the VOMS data to make authentication decisions regarding user requests. VOMS is also an acronym for VOucher Management System used for providing recharge management services for Prepaid Systems of Telecom Service Providers. Typically external Voucher Management Systems are used with Intelligent Network based prepaid systems