Ant Algorithm for File Replica Selection in Data Grid

Replication of data helps a lot to enable high- throughput file transfer and scalable resource storage in distributed data grid environment. The selection of a data replica is critical for users to effectively access a data file. Within this paper, an ant algorithm for file replica selection in data grid is proposed and discussed. It is implemented and the advantages of the new ant algorithm are investigated in a grid simulator called OptorSim. The evaluation demonstrates that this new ant algorithm can reduce data access latency, decrease bandwidth consumption and distribute storage site load.