Emergent Peer-to-Peer Multi-Hub Topology

TL;DR

This paper introduces a decentralized algorithm for creating peer-to-peer networks with emergent multi-hub structures, balancing randomness and star-like topology for robustness and low diameter.

Contribution

It presents a novel, decentralized, and asynchronous protocol that enables spontaneous formation of multi-hub topologies using local information and preferential attachment principles.

Findings

Networks exhibit high resilience to failures.

Hubs form spontaneously and are indistinguishable from other nodes.

The number of hubs can be controlled by network parameters.

Abstract

In this paper we propose and evaluate an innovative algorithm that enables the creation of Peer-to-Peer network overlays characterized by emergent multi-hubs. This approach generates overlays that balance between the randomness of a graph and the structure of a star network, resulting in networks that not only feature prominent hubs but also exhibit strong resilience to failures. By leveraging principles of preferential attachment and random attachment, our method allows hubs to form spontaneously, offering a decentralized and fault-tolerant solution ideal for applications requiring both low network diameter and high robustness. The protocol is entirely decentralized, operates asynchronously, and depends exclusively on local information. Nodes organically evolve into hubs and remain indistinguishable from other nodes (except in terms of the number of incoming links). The quantity of hubs that emerge can be predetermined by the application as a network parameter.