Development of a distributed evolutionary computing package

Although evolutionary algorithm is a powerful optimization tool, its computation cost involved in terms of time and hardware increases as the size and complexity of the problem increases. In this paper, a Java-based distributed evolutionary computing package (Paladin-DEC) is presented by exploiting the inherent parallel nature of evolutionary algorithms. The package enhances the concurrent processing and performance of evolutionary algorithms by allowing inter-communications of subpopulations among various computers over the Internet. The Paladin-DEC is incorporated with the features of security, scalability and fault tolerance, and is capable of keeping data integrity throughout the computation. The effectiveness and advantages of the Paladin-DEC are illustrated through a case study of drug scheduling in cancer chemotherapy.