A P2P Network with inherent Support for Adaptation

There has been a significant body of research conducted into various structured and unstructured overlay network protocols. Both paradigms have advantages for specific application domains and researchers are beginning to examine the benefits of using hybridized systems. We hypothesize that resource awareness and adaptation are essential to the efficient exploitation of the resources available on the diverse nodes which compose peer-to-peer networks. To support this, we propose a hybrid peer-topeer model which uses an unstructured decentralised network layered on top of a structured overlay to provide support for multiple levels of adaptation. This model will improve quality of service for traditional peer-to-peer systems and provide support for novel next generation peer-to-peer applications.