Comcast's ISP Experiences in a Proactive Network Provider Participation for P2P (P4P) Technical Trial
RFC 5632

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Network Working Group                                       C. Griffiths
Request for Comments: 5632                                  J. Livingood
Category: Informational                                          Comcast
                                                               L. Popkin
                                                                   Pando
                                                               R. Woundy
                                                                 Comcast
                                                                 Y. Yang
                                                                    Yale
                                                          September 2009

Comcast's ISP Experiences in a Proactive Network Provider Participation
                     for P2P (P4P) Technical Trial

Abstract

   This document describes the experiences of Comcast, a large cable
   broadband Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the U.S., in a Proactive
   Network Provider Participation for P2P (P4P) technical trial in July
   2008.  This trial used P4P iTracker technology, which is being
   considered by the IETF as part of the Application Layer Transport
   Optimization (ALTO) working group.

Status of This Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
   not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of this
   memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2009 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents in effect on the date of
   publication of this document (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info).
   Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights
   and restrictions with respect to this document.

Griffiths, et al.            Informational                      [Page 1]
RFC 5632                Comcast P4P Experiences           September 2009

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
   2.  High-Level Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
   3.  Differences between the P4P iTrackers Used . . . . . . . . . .  4
     3.1.  P4P Fine Grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
     3.2.  P4P Coarse Grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
     3.3.  P4P Generic Weighted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
   4.  High-Level Trial Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
     4.1.  Swarm Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
     4.2.  Impact on Download Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
     4.3.  General Impacts on Upstream and Downstream Traffic and
           Other Interesting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
   5.  Important Notes on Data Collected  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8
   6.  Next Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9
   7.  Security Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
   8.  Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
   9.  Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

1.  Introduction

   Comcast is a large broadband Internet Service Provider (ISP), based
   in the U.S., serving the majority of its customers via cable modem
   technology.  A trial was conducted in July 2008 with Pando Networks,
   Yale, and several ISP members of the P4P working group, which is part
   of the Distributed Computing Industry Association (DCIA).  Comcast is
   a member of the DCIA's P4P Working Group, whose mission is to work
   with Internet Service Providers (ISPs), peer-to-peer (P2P) companies,
   and technology researchers to develop "P4P" mechanisms, such as so-
   called "iTrackers" (hereafter P4P iTrackers), that accelerate
   distribution of content and optimize utilization of ISP network
   resources.  P4P iTrackers theoretically allow P2P networks to
   optimize traffic within each ISP, reducing the volume of data
   traversing the ISP's infrastructure and creating a more manageable
   flow of data.  P4P iTrackers can also accelerate P2P downloads for
   end users.

   P4P's iTracker technology [SIGCOMM] was conceptually discussed with
   the IETF at the Peer-to-Peer Infrastructure (P2Pi) Workshop held on
   May 28, 2008, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as
   documented in [RFC5594].  This work was discussed in greater detail
   at the 72nd meeting of the IETF, in Dublin, Ireland, in the ALTO BoF
   (Birds of a Feather meeting) on July 29, 2008.  Due to interest from
   the community, Comcast shared P4P iTracker trial data at the 73rd
   meeting of the IETF, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the ALTO BoF on
   November 18, 2008.  Since that time, discussion of P4P iTrackers and
   alternative technologies has continued among participants of the ALTO
   working group.

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