A lightweight, robust P2P system to handle flash crowds

An Internet flash crowd (also known as hot spots) is a phenomenon that results from a sudden, unpredicted increase in an on-line object´s popularity. Currently, there is no efficient means within the Internet to deliver Web objects scalably under hot spot conditions to all clients that desire the object. We present peer-to-peer (P2P) randomized overlays to obviate flash-crowd symptoms (PROOFS), a simple, lightweight, P2P approach that uses randomized overlay construction and randomized, scoped searches to locate and deliver objects efficiently under heavy demand to all users that desire them. We evaluate PROOFS´ robustness in environments in which clients join and leave the P2P network, as well as in environments in which clients are not always fully cooperative. Through a mix of simulation and prototype experimentation in the Internet, we show that randomized approaches like PROOFS should effectively relieve flash crowd symptoms in dynamic, limited-participation environments.