Efficient Broadcast in Structured P2P Networks

In this position paper, we present an efficient algorithm for performing a broadcast operation with minimal cost in structured DHT-based P2P networks. In a system of N nodes, a broadcast message originating at an arbitrary node reaches all other nodes after exactly N − 1 messages. We emphasize the perception of a class of DHT systems as a form of distributed k-ary search and we take advantage of that perception in constructing a spanning tree that is utilized for efficient broadcasting. We consider broadcasting as a basic service that adds to existing DHTs the ability to search using arbitrary queries as well as dissiminate/collect global information.