Efficient hierarchical content distribution using P2P technology

CDN (Content Delivery Network) and P2P (Peer-to-Peer) are two dominant technologies in large-scale content distribution. However, they have their own advantages and disadvantages. In this paper, an efficient hierarchical content distribution scheme is proposed, integrating the traditional CDN and centralized P2P. In our approach, content distribution is divided into two stages. In the CDN-level core network, the content is strategically placed from central server to a set of edge servers, and edge servers can exchange content between each other to enhance efficiency. In the P2P-level logical access network, the content is distributed from edge server to user nodes, and the user nodes can concurrently download from both the edge server and other peer user nodes. Analytical results are given to demonstrate the performance of HCDN (Hierarchical Content Distribution Network).