A least resistance path to the analysis of unstructured overlay networks
Report, 2008

Unstructured overlay networks for peer-to-peer applications combined with stochastic algorithms for interest-based clustering and resource location are attractive due to low-maintenance costs and inherent fault-tolerance properties. Moreover, there is a relatively large volume of experimental evidence that these methods are efficiency-wise a good alternative to structured methods, which require more sophisticated algorithms for maintenance and fault-tolerance. Specifically in the case of interest-based clustering, it has been recently suggested that a resource location strategy based on non-trivial randomwalks can be used to construct an overlay network with scale-free and clustering properties, which can be navigated efficiently. However, currently there is a very limited selection of appropriate tools to use in evaluating performance and other properties of such non-trivial methods. We present a framework for analyzing unstructured overlays and stochastic algorithms on them, connecting the corresponding graphs, random walks and resistor networks by using elementary linear algebra calculations. We express the framework in a way that can be used in various contexts regarding the overlay network and statistical methods. Furthermore, we demonstrate its usage by studying non-trivial random walks in overlays with power-law node degree distribution; in particular we address a broad set of topics of interest for peer-to-peer overlays, including content-replication efficiency, fault-tolerance, query-replication efficiency and resource constraint handling.

peer-to-peer networks

random walks

Author

Marina Papatriantafilou

Computing Science, Distributed Computing and Systems (Chalmers)

Georgios Georgiadis

Computing Science, Distributed Computing and Systems (Chalmers)

Subject Categories

Computer Science

More information

Created

10/6/2017