Fair resource allocation in peer-to-peer networks (extended version)

The first Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks were based mainly on the altruistic behaviour of the peers. Although newer implementations incorporate some kind of incentive mechanism to award sharing peers, no P2P network assures any quality of service. This paper is meant as a first step towards the development of P2P networks with quality of service. We propose a distributed resource allocation algorithm where peers control the service rates to their neighbours. This algorithm is based on the congestion pricing principle known from IP networks and ensures some form of fairness. Hence a peer gets a fair share of the resources available in the P2P network weighted by its contribution to the network. We present the first simulation results about the convergence of our algorithm and its functionality in large and varying networks. The results indicate a fair allocation of the resources even when the service rates of some peers deteriorate due to errors.