An optimal topology for a static P2P live streaming network: Analysis and real-world results

In this paper we present a P2P live streaming topology which performs near the optimum under common constraints. We assume two types of nodes: viewers that consume the entire media, and amplifiers which are non-viewing nodes utilized for their upstream bandwidth. We analytically derive the minimum needed server upload, for any topology, under the constraint of limited total peer upload. Under this constraint, we prove that a 2-level topology for the amplifiers is optimal. Then, by running experiments on RayV´s real-world commercial system, we demonstrate that in such a 2-level system the server upload is indeed near the minimum.