Management of peer-to-peer systems

In the near future, peer-to-peer architecture is likely to enter into several new application areas, including e-commerce networking. The paper presents selected management-related issues within the area of peer-to peer systems: management of network load, overhead traffic, message routing, security and anonymity. Environment factors affecting managerial decisions are introduced and suggestions for domain identification are given, followed by a comprehensive list of appropriate policy rules. After that, the paper describes possible actions to be taken in cases when the conditions representing unwanted system behaviour are met.