ToMo: A Two-Layer Mesh/Tree Structure for Live Streaming in P2P Overlay Network

In this paper, we introduce a hybrid approach for overlay construction and data delivery in an application-layer multicast. We combine the strong points of a tree-based structure and a mesh-based data delivery to form ToMo, a two-layer hybrid overlay. We try to reduce the number of replicated packets at a source, and reduce an effect when slow connection peers are located near the source. The overlay is constructed in the fashion of a mesh layer over a tree layer. This structure allocates the source to multicast each piece of the packet to a specific group of child peers only. Different from other approaches, we employ only push-based data delivery in order to minimize the latency. The redundancy is avoided by defining a set of well-organized mesh connections. Furthermore, in our approach, the isolated peers affected by parent departure are not facing data loss during the rejoin process since they still receive data from their neighbors via mesh connections. Simulations through ns2 demonstrate the efficiency of this solution.