Cooperation between Peer-to-peer Networks and ISPs

Peer-to-peer networks have become a prevailing platform to support large volume data transfer on the Internet. However, the relative independency between the P2P layer and the underlying network layer degrades network performance. In this paper, we propose a light-weighted scheme to support cooperation between P2P networks and ISP infrastructures. In this method, edge routers act as traffic lights. When the monitored links indicate incoming congestion or come into "critical use" state, they turn "red" to P2P packets, forcing them to search for alternative paths. Meanwhile, the edge routers collect location information for P2P networks and use it to improve their performance. Evaluation results from various simulations prove that our scheme can improve the performance of P2P applications and underlying ISP networks.