Hybrid P2P Architecture for Transaction Management

Abstract

In contrast with many centralised schemes P2P systems are flexible, scalable and highly dynamic. They offer an attractive distributed platform despite concerns over security. This work is motivated by the need to address explicitly the main issues that arise in the deployment of P2P systems in a business environment. A systematic approach is proposed in the development of a secure and trusted system to support authentication, non-repudiation and trust in business transactions. This involves two stages. Firstly, the identification of the functional components designed to facilitate security through authentication and nonrepudiation, and those aimed at insuring trust; secondly, their implementation and integration into a hybrid P2P architecture, where the entry point server plays a central role. This integration is facilitated by the layering of functional components. Secure and trusted file transactions are further enhanced by a community management layer