Technical Summary
A significant part of the Internet traffic today is generated by
peer-to-peer (P2P) applications used traditionally for file-sharing,
and more recently for real-time communications and live media
streaming. Such applications discover a route to each other through
an overlay network with little knowledge of the underlying network
topology. As a result, they may choose peers based on information
deduced from empirical measurements, which can lead to suboptimal
choices. This document, a product of the P2P Research Group,
presents a survey of existing literature on discovering and using
network topology information for application-layer traffic
optimization.
Working Group Summary
This document was produced by the IRTF, not an IETF working group.
However, it provides background information that might help inform
IETF work by the ALTO WG.
Document Quality
The document provides a helpful summary of research related to the
problem of application-layer traffic optimization as described in
RFC 5693. The document has been reviewed by the responsible Area
Director, who deems it of good quality.
Personnel
The responsible Area Director is Peter Saint-Andre.
RFC Editor Note
This document provides background information that complements but
does not conflict with IETF work being pursued by the ALTO WG;
therefore it is appropriate for publication by the RFC Editor in
the IRTF stream.