Enabling grassroots distributed computing with CompTorrent

This paper describes the operational characteristics of "CompTorrent", a general purpose distributed computing platform that provides a low entry cost to creating new distributed computing projects. An algorithm is embedded into a metadata file along with data set details which are then published on the Internet. Potential nodes discover and download metadata files for projects they wish to participate in, extract the algorithm and data set descriptors, and join other participants in maintaining a swarm. This swarm then cooperatively shares the raw data set in pieces between nodes and applies the algorithm to produce a computed data set. This computed data set is also shared and distributed amongst participating nodes. CompTorrent allows a simple, "home-brewed" solution for small or individual distributed computing projects. Testing and experimentation have shown CompTorrent to be an effective system that provides similar benefits for distributed computing to those BitTorrent provides for large file distribution.