Using XMPP for ad-hoc grid computing - an application example using parallel ant colony optimisation

XMPP (XML Messaging and Presence Protocol), also known as Jabber, is a popular instant messaging protocol that uses XML streams for communication. Due to it's high extensibility, XMPP is very easy to adapt to other uses than instant messaging. Furthermore, announcing of presence state makes it ideal for highly volatile environments. This paper outlines the use of XMPP for a grid-like computation environment. The biggest advantage of this setup was that available computing resources, such as laboratory computers, could be connected easily and used similarly to a grid. The application example described in this paper uses Ant Colony System (ACS) optimisation and the NEC-tool to optimise RFID antennas, involving computing the efficiency and resonant frequency of a large number of different antenna structures.