A method and apparatus for managing a peer of a peer-to-peer network to search for an available resource includes organizing peers of the peer-to-peer network in a hierarchical structure based upon locality of the peers. A request for the available resource is received at a parent from a peer as a request bit string. An aggregate availability bit string representing an aggregate of resources available at all children associated with the parent is accessed to determine if one or more children of the parent are able to fulfill the resource request. The determination is by performing a logical operation with bits of the request bit string and bits of aggregate availability bit string. When more than one child of the parent is able to provide the requested resource, a child with available resource that is closest to the peer requesting the resource is identified. The available resource of the identified child is used to satisfy the resource request of the peer.