Exploiting semantic locality to improve peer-to-peer search mechanisms

A Peer-to-Peer(P2P) network is the most popular technology in file sharing today. With the advent of various commercial and non-commercial applications like KaZaA, Gnutella, a P2P network has exercised its growth and popularity to the maximum. Every node (peer) in a P2P network acts as both a client and a server for other peers. A search in P2P network is performed as a query relayed between peers until the peer that contains the searched data is found. Huge data size, complex management requirements, dynamic network conditions and distributed systems are some of the difficult challenges a P2P system faces while performing a search. Moreover, a blind and uninformed search leads to performance degradation and wastage of resources. To address these weaknesses, techniques like Distributed Hash Table (DHT) has been proposed to place a tight constraint on the node placement. However, it does not considers semantic significance of the data. We propose a new peer to peer search protocol that identities locality in a P2P network to mitigate the complexity in data searching. Locality is a logical semantic categorization of a group of peers sharing common data. With the help of locality information, our search model offers more informed and intelligent search for different queries. To evaluate the effectiveness of our model we propose a new P2P search protocol - LocalChord. LocalChord relies on Chord and demonstrates potential of our proposed locality scheme by re-modelling Chord as a Chord of sub-chords

An FPGA-Based System for Tracking Digital Information Transmitted via Peer-to-Peer Protocols

This thesis addresses the problem of identifying and tracking digital information that is shared using peer-to-peer file transfer and Voice over IP (VoIP) protocols. The goal of the research is to develop a system for detecting and tracking the illicit dissemination of sensitive government information using file sharing applications within a target network, and tracking terrorist cells or criminal organizations that are covertly communicating using VoIP applications. A digital forensic tool is developed using an FPGA-based embedded software application. The tool is designed to process file transfers using the BitTorrent peer-to-peer protocol and VoIP phone calls made using the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). The tool searches a network for selected peer-to-peer control messages using payload analysis and compares the unique identifier of the file being shared or phone number being used against a list of known contraband files or phone numbers. If the identifier is found on the list, the control packet is added to a log file for later forensic analysis. Results show that the FPGA tool processes peer-to-peer packets of interest 92% faster than a software-only configuration and is 99.0% accurate at capturing and processing BitTorrent Handshake messages under a network traffic load of at least 89.6 Mbps. When SIP is added to the system, the probability of intercept for BitTorrent Handshake messages remains at 99.0% and the probability of intercept for SIP control packets is 97.6% under a network traffic load of at least 89.6 Mbps, demonstrating that the tool can be expanded to process additional peer-to-peer protocols with minimal impact on overall performance

A Framework for distributed Workflows, Peer-to-Peer and PLM/PDM collaborations to support OEMs and SMEs

The recent development of communication technology and hardware devices has made it possible for messages to reach anybody, anywhere at anytime. One such technology is Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networking. The use of this technology however, is limited to mobile phones and swapping music in the internet for home users. To deploy this development into industry, there is a requirement to improve to sharing information in a collaborative and distributed product developing environment. The aim of this paper is therefore to discuss the development of a framework to enhance the integrity of data sharing and efficiency of network communication for the collaboration of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). The main technologies used in the framework are the P2P decentralized network together with workflow technology and Product Life Management System (PLM). In addition, the paper is also highlighted the security issues arise to implement the P2P applications within the framework

Linux Peer to Peer File Sharing System

In recent years, the evolution of innovative network architecture called peer-to-peer has been witnessed. Such systems are mainly characterized by direct access to computers or devices, rather than through centralized servers. According to the peer-to-peer working group, p2p is defined as the sharing of resources by direct exchange. File sharing is the dominant application you can find on the internet today. These applications involve the sharing of resources and services with other computer system through direct exchange of information. Such resource includes information and content files, processing cycles, cache storage and disk storage. This kind of an application was made famous by the introduction of the server based file sharing application in 1999 called Napster. Napster was one of the first generation p2p systems to be created; today P2P computing has advanced towards the third generation P2P systems. Such a generation includes the likes of Chord [1], CAN [2] and Tapestry [3]. This paper is aimed at researching how P2P communication can be applied in a Linux operating system. This is done so by designing a file sharing system that allows computer systems to share each other memory. This system provides security, reliability and availability by distributing multiple encrypted files to a network of different PC’s. We conclude by analyzing how successful this architect will be in future

A Peer-To-Peer Data Processing Infrastructure That Operates On The Largest Scale

In the corporate network, information may be exchanged throughout different businesses, making it simpler for those with common interests to collaborate. With its help, firms may be able to reduce overhead costs and increase revenue. As data is exchanged and processed across firms, it increases the complexity of implementing a scalable, high-performing, and secure data management system. This article presents BP++, an expansion of the BestPeer P2P data management platform that offers elastic data sharing services for cloud-based business network applications. BP++ integrates cloud computing, databases, and P2P technologies to provide its members with data sharing services under the well-known pay-as-you-go pricing model. For our BP++ tests, we make use of Amazon's EC2 cloud infrastructure. Benchmarks show that BP++ outperforms the recently proposed HadoopDB large-scale data processing solution when both systems are employed to handle typical business network demands. The results demonstrate that BP++ is quite efficient, with throughput scaling practically linearly with the number of peer nodes

UMA NOVA ABORDAGEM PARA DETECTAR TRÁFEGO P2P COM BASE NA ANÁLISE DE ASSINATURAS

In recent years, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks have gained more popularity in the form of file-sharing applications, such as uTorrent and eMule, that use BitTorrent and eDonkey protocols. With such popularity comes security risks and external attacks; the latter is often associated with information hacking. In this paper, we will introduce a new way to monitor and detect the use of each of the P2P applications within the corporate network. Based on the inspection of traffic packets in order to extract digital signatures of these applications using the open-source packet analysis program "Wireshark," in addition to using the well-known Snort intrusion detection system (IDS) with a number of adequate and new rules, this solution can allow us to receive powerful warning messages that detect the presence of P2P applications inside the network. We implemented our rules in Snort IDS. Over a period of time, this solution allowed us to achieve 96% effectiveness in detecting the presence of P2P applications.En los últimos años, las redes peer-to-peer (P2P) han ganado más popularidad en forma de aplicaciones para compartir archivos, como uTorrent y eMule, que utilizan los protocolos BitTorrent y eDonkey. Con tal popularidad vienen riesgos de seguridad y ataques externos; Este último a menudo se asocia con el pirateo de información. En este artículo, presentaremos una nueva forma de monitorear y detectar el uso de cada una de las aplicaciones P2P dentro de la red corporativa.Basada en la inspección de paquetes de tráfico con el fin de extraer firmas digitales de estas aplicaciones utilizando el programa de análisis de paquetes de código abierto "Wireshark", además de utilizar el conocido sistema de detección de intrusos (IDS) Snort con una serie de reglas adecuadas y nuevas, esta solución puede permitirnos recibir potentes mensajes de advertencia que detectan la presencia de aplicaciones P2P dentro de la red. Implementamos nuestras reglas en Snort IDS. Durante un período de tiempo, esta solución nos permitió alcanzar un 96% de efectividad en la detección de la presencia de aplicaciones P2P.In recent years, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks have gained more popularity in the form of file-sharing applications, such as uTorrent and eMule, that use BitTorrent and eDonkey protocols. With such popularity comes security risks and external attacks; the latter is often associated with information hacking. In this paper, we will introduce a new way to monitor and detect the use of each of the P2P applications within the corporate network. Based on the inspection of traffic packets in order to extract digital signatures of these applications using the open-source packet analysis program "Wireshark," in addition to using the well-known Snort intrusion detection system (IDS) with a number of adequate and new rules, this solution can allow us to receive powerful warning messages that detect the presence of P2P applications inside the network. We implemented our rules in Snort IDS. Over a period of time, this solution allowed us to achieve 96% effectiveness in detecting the presence of P2P applications.Nos últimos anos, as redes peer-to-peer (P2P) ganharam mais popularidade na forma de aplicativos de compartilhamento de arquivos, como uTorrent e eMule, que usam protocolos BitTorrent e eDonkey. Com tamanha popularidade, surgem riscos de segurança e ataques externos; este último é frequentemente associado à invasão de informações. Neste artigo, apresentaremos uma nova maneira de monitorar e detectar o uso de cada um dos aplicativos P2P dentro da rede corporativa.Baseada na inspeção de pacotes de tráfego para extrair assinaturas digitais dessas aplicações usando o programa de análise de pacotes de código aberto "Wireshark", além de usar o conhecido sistema de detecção de intrusão (IDS) Snort com uma série de regras adequadas e novas, esta solução pode nos permitir receber poderosas mensagens de aviso que detectam a presença de aplicações P2P dentro da rede. Implementamos nossas regras no Snort IDS. Ao longo de um período de tempo, esta solução permitiu-nos alcançar 96% de eficácia na detecção da presença de aplicações P2P

A DHT-based Peer-to-peer Architecture for Distributed Internet Applications

La tecnologia peer-to-peer é divenuta popolare soprattutto per applicazioni di file-sharing come Napster, Gnutella, Kazaa ed eMule, che sono state la componente principale del traffico di Internet per diversi anni. La tecnologia peer-to-peer, tuttavia, non é solo relativa al file-sharing. Molte applicazioni, utilizzate da milioni di utenti ogni giorno, come Skype, sono applicazioni basate sul paradigma peer-to-peer. Il paradigma peer-to-peer (P2P) é un modello di comunicazione in cui una moltitudine di dispositivi indipendenti ed eterogenei interagiscono come pari (peer). In una rete P2P pura, ogni nodo implementa le funzionalità sia di client che di server, e ciascun peer può instaurare una sessione di comunicazione in qualsiasi momento. I nodi sono disposti in un'overlay network, costruita sopra ad una rete esistente, come Internet. Molte applicazioni peer-to-peer sono basate su una particolare classe di reti peer-to-peer: le Distributed Hash Tables (DHT). Le DHT sono reti peer-to-peer strutturate che forniscono un servizio di memorizzazione e recupero di informazioni simile ad una classica hash table, in cui le chiavi sono mappate a valori, in modo scalabile, flessibile ed auto-configurante. Questa tesi riporta i risultati della ricerca sull'applicazione delle tecnologie peer-to-peer al di là del file sharing. Il lavoro é stato concentrato in primo luogo sullo studio ed analisi delle implementazioni esistenti di reti peer-to-peer, specialmente le Distributed Hash Tables, e le proposte per protocolli peer-to-peer definite dall'IETF P2PSIP Working Group. La principale attività di ricerca é stata la definizione di un'architettura peer-to-peer, chiamata Distributed Location Service (DLS), che permette di instaurare connessioni dirette tra gli estremi di una comunicazione senza la necessità di dipendere da server centralizzati. Il Distributed Location Server é un servizio peer-to-peer basato su DHT che può essere utilizzato per memorizzare e recuperare informazioni relative a dove e come accedere alle risorse, eliminando il bisogno di dipendere (parzialmente) dal sistema DNS e da servizi di localizzazione centralizzati, come il SIP Location Service. Le informazioni di accesso sono memorizzate nel DLS come coppie chiave-valore, che sono mantenute da una moltitudine di nodi che partecipano alla DHT su cui si basa il DLS. Il DLS é stato implementato come un framework, definendo un set di interfacce standard per la comunicazione tra i componenti del DLS, al fine di consentire la massima flessibilità sui componenti, come l'algoritmo di DHT e il protocollo di comunicazione in uso, in quanto nessuna ipotesi é stata formulata al riguardo nella definizione dell'architettura del DLS. L'algoritmo di DHT Kademlia e il protocollo di comunicazione dSIP sono stati implementati ed integrati nel framework DLS per creare applicazioni basate su DLS al fine di dimostrare la praticabilità dell'approccio DLS. Queste applicazioni dimostrative sono state realizzate altresì con l'intento di mostrare che il peer-to-peer non può essere ridotto al solo file sharing, ma che applicazioni di comunicazione real-time, come il VoIP, file system distribuiti, e Social Netowrks possono essere realizzati utilizzando come base un'architettura peer-to-peer. Sebbene l'attività di ricerca sia stata condotta in maniera indipendente dall'IETF P2PSIP Working Group, il Distributed Location Service si é rivelato molto simile alla proposta ufficiale, chiamata RELOAD, con la quale condivide diversi concetti ed idee. Un altro aspetto studiato é stato il problema del bootstrapping nelle reti peer-to-peer. Quando un nodo intende unirsi ad una rete P2P esistente, esso deve contattare un nodo che appartiene già all'overlay P2P, il quale ammetterà il nuovo nodo. Tipicamente, la scoperta di un nodo che partecipa già all'overlay avviene attraverso meccanismi quali l'utilizzo di cache, liste di nodi pre-configurate e l'interrogazione di server centralizzati. Sebbene questi approcci abbiano funzionato finora, essi non appartengono alla filosofia peer-to-peer, in cui la decentralizzazione, la scalabilità e l'auto-configurazione sono aspetti cruciali. Si é quindi definito e validato un approccio basato su Multicast, il cui scopo é quello di ottenere un servizio caratterizzato da scalabilità ed auto-configurazione.Peer-to-peer technology has become popular primarily due to file sharing applications, such as Napster, Gnutella, Kazaa, and eMule, which have been the dominant component of usage of Internet bandwidth for several years. However, peer-to-peer technology is not all about file sharing. Many famous applications used by millions of users every day, such as Skype, are applications based on the peer-to-peer paradigm. The peer-to-peer (P2P) paradigm is a communication model in which multiple independent and heterogeneous devices interact as equals (peers). In a pure P2P network each node implements functions of both client and server, and either peer can initiate a communication session at any moment. Nodes are arranged on an overlay network, built on top of an existing network, such as the Internet. Many peer-to-peer applications are based on a particular class of peer-to-peer networks: Distributed Hash Tables (DHT). DHTs are structured peer-to-peer networks which provide a service of information storage and retrieval similar to a regular hash table where keys are mapped to values, in a scalable, flexible, and self-organizing fashion. This thesis reports the results of the research activity on applying peer-to-peer technology beyond file sharing. The work has been focused first on the study and analysis of existing peer-to-peer network implementations, especially on Distributed Hash Tables, and the proposals for peer-to-peer protocols presented by the IETF P2PSIP Working Group. The main research activity has been the definition of a peer-to-peer architecture, called Distributed Location Service (DLS), which allows the establishment of direct connections among the endpoints of a communication without the need of central servers. The Distributed Location Service is a DHT-based peer-to-peer service which can be used to store and retrieve information about where resources can be accessed, thus eliminating the need to rely (partially) on the DNS system and on central location servers, such as SIP Location Services. Access information is stored in the DLS as key-to-value mappings, which are maintained by a number of nodes that participate in the DHT overlay the DLS is built upon. The DLS has been implemented as a framework, by defining a standard set of interfaces between the components of the DLS, in order to allow maximum flexibility on components such as the DHT algorithm and communication protocol in use, as no assumption has been made in the definition of the DLS architecture. The Kademlia DHT algorithm and the dSIP communication protocol have been implemented and integrated in the DLS framework in order to create real-world DLS-based application to show the feasibility of the DLS approach. These demonstrative DLS-based applications have been realized with the intent to show that peer-to-peer is not just about file sharing, but real-time communication applications, such as VoIP, distributed file systems, and Online Social Networks, can also be built on top of a peer-to-peer architecture. Even though the research activity has been conducted independently from the IETF P2PSIP Working Group, the Distributed Location Service has been eventually found quite similar to the official proposal, named RELOAD, with whom it shares several concepts and ideas. Another aspect that was studied is the issue of bootstrapping in peer-to-peer networks. When a node wants to join an existing P2P network, it needs to gather information about one node that already belongs to the P2P overlay network which will then admit the new node. Typically, the discovery of a node that is already participating in the overlay is made through mechanisms such as caching, pre-configured list of nodes, or the use of central servers. Even though these approaches have worked so far, they are not in the true philosophy of peer-to-peer networks, where decentralization, scalability, and self-organization are critical features. A Multicast-based approach has therefore been defined and validated, with the goal of achieving true scalability and self-organization

Mobile Agent-Based Distributed Fusion (MADFUSION) System

Abstract-This paper considers a system architecture referred to as the Mobile Agent-Based Distributed Fusion (MADFUSION) system. The system environment consists of a peer-to-peer ad-hoc network in which information may be dynamically distributed and collected via publish/subscribe functionality implemented at each node of the network to facilitate data sharing and decision making in Level 2 Fusion. The Level 2 decision making process implemented in the system consists of the Enhanced Doctrinal Template Matching (EDTM) algorithm which is shown to be an improvement over the pre-existing Doctrinal Template Matching algorithm. This algorithm is developed to operates on information obtained from lower layer fusion processes in order to identify aggregated groups of entities. The template matching algorithm is shown to be an improvement over a previously existing algorithm. The MADFUSION system is proposed to extend the client/server architecture of various publish/subscribe applications to an architecture providing decentralization, reconfigurability, mobility, attainability and prevention of single points of failure. The system is implemented in a wireless ad-hoc network (802.11b) and performs the publish/subscribe functionality through the implementation of a mobile agent based framework. The software agents travel deterministically from node-to-node carrying a data payload consisting of information which may be subscribed to by users within the network. Within this system, situation awareness (Level 2 fusion) can be sought by using these multi-domain information sources (GMTI, Video, or SAR) for evaluation at each node with different distributed information fusion algorithms

C.O.M.U.N.I.: Keeping communication alive, trustworthy, and open

With the increasing ubiquity of smartphones, their potential as emergency communication tools has become pivotal. Conventional communication tools often fall short in crises, leading to information gaps and coordination challenges among affected individuals, emergency responders, and decision-makers. This raises the need for a more robust and reliable communication system during emergencies. Despite the widespread availability of smartphones, there is a significant limitation to leveraging them as effective communication tools during emergencies. Current messaging applications have not effectively maximized their reach and utility, especially for information sharing and assistance coordination. Further, they frequently lack moderation tools and channels for official messages. The thesis aims to address this gap by proposing a smartphone application designed for emergencies. The objectives of the thesis include providing an overview of the state-of-the-art in mobile ad-hoc networks, defining specific use cases and experimentation scenarios, and ultimately designing and implementing a network architecture and a prototype application. The prototype aspires to facilitate efficient information sharing, coordinate assistance, and ensure timely access to accurate information for all stakeholders while ensuring a high quality of messages and safe access for anyone. To achieve this, the application combines technologies of peer-to-peer communication with more traditional communication via cellular networks. The proposed system incorporates features such as real-time communication, user authentication, message verification, and community moderation. A requirements-based evaluation is conducted to assess the effectiveness of the application in fulfilling user needs and enhancing communication channels during emergencies. The evaluation demonstrates that the proposed application effectively fulfills user requirements and showcases its potential to augment communication during crises. The system is further compared against existing messaging applications, highlighting its significant advantages and enhancements over the current state-of-the-art solutions