HTTP(P2P): a transaction based (HTTP) peer-to-peer protocol for the dissemination of Web-objects in congested networks

Highly popular Web sites can suffer classical congestion collapse because of the ability of outgoing ´bursty´ data to congest the server side link. Using the well known and recognized network simulator ns we look at the effect that this congestion collapse has on user perceived performance (UPP) of a simulated Web site. We developed a protocol overlay for HTTP/1.1 and a complementary distribution infrastructure to alleviate the effects of this congestion. Our protocol HTTP(P2P) shows promise for increasing the maximum load of Web sites during times of high and very high Web site load and link contention. In our simulated environment, HTTP(P2P) significantly decreases the time required for users to download the Web page they request. The protocol also distributes the redirected traffic over the network to reduce secondary transient network congestion.