Ant Algorithms for Search in Unstructured Peer-to-Peer Networks

Although the ant metaphor has been successfully applied to routing of data packets both in wireless and fixed networks, little is yet known about its applicability to the task of query routing in peer-to-peer environments. This work presents SemAnt, an algorithm for distributed query routing based on the Ant Colony Optimization meta-heuristic. The experimental results show that the algorithm produces robust results and converges fast. Based on the results gained so far, the goal for the Ph.D. thesis is to extend the algorithm to include strategies for self-adaptation to volatile networks where nodes may leave or join at any time.