P2P functions/characteristics
One way of understanding a P2P network is to examine its characteristics. These include the following:
- Nodes that contribute resources to the system, including:
- Data storage
- Computational resources
- They provide support for a set of services
- They are very scalable and fault tolerant
- They support load balancing of resources
- They may support limited anonymity
The nature of P2P systems is that a user may not be able to access a specific node to use a service or resources. As nodes join and leave a system randomly, a specific node may not be available. The algorithm will determine how the system responds to requests.
The basics functions of a P2P system include:
- Enrollment of peers in a network
- Peer discovery—the process of determining which peer has the information of interest
- Sending messages between peers
Not all peers perform all of these functions.
The resources of a P2P system are identified using a Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) that is usually generated using...
