Size Does Matter (in P2P Live Streaming)

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the size of data chunks and probe sets affect the efficiency and delay in peer-to-peer live streaming, emphasizing the importance of optimal sizing for performance.

Contribution

It introduces an analysis of optimal chunk and probe set sizes for P2P live streaming, supported by extensive simulations of dissemination schemes.

Findings

Optimal chunk size balances diffusion rate and delay.

Probe set size influences dissemination metrics.

Large chunks can improve diffusion efficiency.

Abstract

Optimal dissemination schemes have previously been studied for peer-to-peer live streaming applications. Live streaming being a delay-sensitive application, fine tuning of dissemination parameters is crucial. In this report, we investigate optimal sizing of chunks, the units of data exchange, and probe sets, the number peers a given node probes before transmitting chunks. Chunk size can have significant impact on diffusion rate (chunk miss ratio), diffusion delay, and overhead. The size of the probe set can also affect these metrics, primarily through the choices available for chunk dissemination. We perform extensive simulations on the so-called random-peer, latest-useful dissemination scheme. Our results show that size does matter, with the optimal size being not too small in both cases.