Musings Upon the Theme of Peer-to-Peer Search

Efficient search is an active topic in peer-to-peer networks. To date most of the work in this area has been oriented towards devising new algorithms. However, little has been done to understand the fundamental similarities and differences between the wide variety of proposed designs. Such an understanding would be invaluable for the architects of future decentralized systems. In order to stimulate further research in this direction, we present an overview of six example systems whose designs cover the majority of current research themes in peer-to-peer search. The diversity of the presented approaches demonstrates the breadth of the design space available. Based on these examples, we identify a number of open issues that require