Managing computer networks using peer-to-peer technologies

Peer-to-peer systems and network management are usually related to each other because the traffic loads of P2P systems have to be controlled to avoid regular network services becoming unavailable due to network congestion. In this context, from a network operation point of view, P2P systems often mean problems. In this article we take a different perspective and look at P2P technologies as an alternative to improve current network management solutions. We introduce an approach where P2P networks are used as flexible interdomain distributed management systems able to provide facilities often absent in traditional management systems. We present three examples of P2P-based network management: how managed network views can be shared in a P2P network, how P2P-based application layer routing can improve connectivity between management entities, and how groups of peers can be used to process management tasks in a balanced way. Our main goal is to show that P2P technologies are a feasible tool for network management, and thus motivate further investigations on the subject.