Peer-to-peer networking and applications: Synopsis and research directions,” in Handbook of Peer-to-Peer Networking

Abstract Peer-to-peer computing and networking are important developments for large-scale distributed systems design and the evolution of Internet architecture. Widely used applications have demonstrated their feasibility and economic poten-tial for services involving millions of users. A great deal of research has followed to formalize and improve on the empirical results. This introductory chapter surveys the key results of the field, introduces terminology, and identifies open issues which are likely to be important research directions