An algorithm for dissemination and retrieval of information in wireless ad hoc networks

Replication of data items among different nodes of a wireless infrastructure-less network may be an efficient technique to increase data availability and improve data access latency. This paper proposes a novel algorithm to distribute data items among nodes in these networks. The goal of the algorithm is to deploy the replicas of the data items in such a way that they are sufficiently distant from each other to prevent excessive redundancy but, simultaneously, they remain close enough to each participant, such that data retrieval can be achieved using a small number of messages. The paper describes the algorithm and provides its performance evaluation for different configurations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.