Techniques for measuring peer-to-peer (P2P) networks

• US 20070143405A1
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Solutions Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Macrovision Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Bland, William, Moore, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,086,722 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks

Abstract

Techniques for measuring Peer-To-Peer (P2P) networks are provided. P2P are initially seeded with links to feigned content. As a P2P participant accesses a link metrics are recorded about the P2P network being used by the participant. The metrics are used to form measurements to compare different P2P networks relative to one another.

Claims

1. A system, including:

a Peer-To-Peer (P2P) flooder;

a P2P uploader; and

a measuring service, wherein the P2P flooder distributes links to content over a plurality of P2P networks, the P2P uploader records metrics from specific participants of the P2P networks when the participants attempt to acquire the content by access the links, wherein the links point to the P2P uploader, and the measuring service evaluates the metrics to develop measurements with respect to the P2P networks relative to one another.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the P2P uploader responds to each participant that activates one of the links with a message indicating that the content is unavailable.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the P2P flooder at least one of broadcasts the links over the P2P networks, posts the links on bulletin boards or sites associated with the P2P networks, and seeds the links to selective participants over the P2P networks.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the metrics include at least one of a name or type associated with the content accessed by the links, an identity for each of the participants, an estimated geographical location for each of the participants, versions of the P2P networks used by the participants, names associated with the P2P networks being used by the participants, dates and times the participants attempted to access the content via the links, bandwidth rates associated with the network connections of the participants, and machine or environmental profiles associated with the participants.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the P2P flooder varies locations associated with the links, which point to instances of the P2P uploader, in order to prevent the identity of the P2P uploader from being detected by the participants.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurements produced by the measuring service estimate a size for each of the P2P networks relative to the other remaining P2P networks.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurements produced by the measuring service estimate a profile or a preference for each of the P2P networks relative to the other remaining P2P networks.

8. A machine accessible medium having instructions thereon, the instructions when accessed by a machine perform the method of:

distributing a feigned reference to content on a plurality of Peer-To-Peer (P2P) networks;

receiving attempts to access the content from participants of the plurality of P2P networks;

gathering metrics from the participants and the P2P networks in response to the attempts; and

synthesizing measurements for each of the P2P networks relative to remaining ones of the P2P networks in response to the metrics.

9. The method of claim 8 further including instructions for notifying the participants that the content is unavailable in response to the attempts.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein distributing further includes seeding a list of nodes associated with select ones of the participants with the feigned reference to the content.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein distributing further includes posting the feigned reference to the content to sites frequented by the P2P networks.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein distributing further includes sampling each of the P2P networks and acquiring select ones of the participants and broadcasting the feigned reference to the content to the select ones of the participants.

13. The method of claim 8 further including, packaging and publishing the measurements.

14. A method, including:

receiving access attempts to content from participants of Peer-To-Peer (P2P) networks;

gathering metrics for the participants and their corresponding P2P networks;

notifying the participants that requests for the content cannot be satisfied; and

recording the metrics for subsequent analysis.

15. The method of claim 14 further including, generating a relative size estimate for each of the P2P networks relative to other remaining ones of the P2P networks from the metrics.

16. The method of claim 14 further including, deriving a general environmental profile or a general content preference profile for each of the P2P networks relative to the other remaining ones of the P2P networks from the metrics.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein gathering further includes acquiring at least one of P2P network information, environment information for the P2P networks, environmental information for devices and connections of the participants, profile information for the participants, and date and time information that the access attempts were received.

18. The method of claim 14 further including, generating one or more customized reports in response to the metrics.

19. The method of claim 14 further including, estimating a largest P2P network from the P2P networks in response to the metrics.

20. The method of claim 14 further including, concluding the processing of the method after at least one of a predetermined event is detected, a predefined amount of elapsed time expires, and a predefined calendar date is reached.