Publish-Subscribe Systems via Gossip: a Study based on Complex Networks

TL;DR

This study investigates how gossip-based protocols in unstructured P2P networks can effectively disseminate events in publish-subscribe systems, demonstrating that simple methods can achieve widespread message spread.

Contribution

It provides a mathematical analysis and simulation results showing the effectiveness of gossip protocols in unstructured networks for publish-subscribe systems.

Findings

Gossip protocols enable event dissemination even with few subscribers.

Tuning gossip probability controls the spread of events.

Unstructured networks with simple protocols are viable for P2P publish-subscribe applications.

Abstract

This paper analyzes the adoption of unstructured P2P overlay networks to build publish-subscribe systems. We consider a very simple distributed communication protocol, based on gossip and on the local knowledge each node has about subscriptions made by its neighbours. In particular, upon reception (or generation) of a novel event, a node sends it to those neighbours whose subscriptions match that event. Moreover, the node gossips the event to its "non-interested" neighbours, so that the event can be spread through the overlay. A mathematical analysis is provided to estimate the number of nodes receiving the event, based on the network topology, the amount of subscribers and the gossip probability. These outcomes are compared to those obtained via simulation. Results show even when the amount of subscribers represents a very small (yet non-negligible) portion of network nodes, by tuning the gossip probability the event can percolate through the overlay. Hence, the use of unstructured networks. coupled with simple dissemination protocols, represents a viable approach to build peer-to-peer publish-subscribe applications.