Large scale dissemination using a peer-to-peer network

The widespread use of broadband networks and the evolution of Peer-to-Peer systems changed dramatically the way Internet is used today. P2P file sharing networks are one of the most popular ways of sharing and distributing new content. But along with the benefits of these networks, certain patterns became apparent. It could take a long period of time for new, highly anticipated files to become available for download, due to high demand. Therefore, the use of such networks as a mean of file dissemination is not always successful, especially when the files are of considerable size. In this paper Peercast is presented, a P2P dissemination system, along with simulation results. Our focus in this paper is on how this and other P2P file sharing networks can be configured to optimize the dissemination process of highly anticipated files.