Root Cause Analysis

Using our existing characterizations of overlay topologies and peer churn, we are developing a dynamic overlay topology generator to create realistic simulated topologies. Analogous to Internet topology generators, this tool will be useful to researchers designing new protocols who wish to evaluate their design.

The generator will feature the ability to generate dynamic topologies that change with time in a realistic way, incorporating our results on churn in peer-to-peer systems. In the process, we are exploring the effects of different parameters on the graph properties of the overlay. For example, how do different peer selection mechanisms affect the degree distribution?