Peer-to-Peer (P2P) systems are currently used in a variety of applications. File sharing applications and ad hoc networking have fueled the usage of these systems. P2P systems generate new challenges in scalability, fairness, and quality of service. Current systems often approach these challenges through incentive-based solutions and structured system design. Incentive-based solutions appeal to the self-interested nature of peers by utilizing payment or penalty to encourage peers to contribute to the system. System design principles, which attempt to improve performance through protocols and system-algorithms, include distributed hash tables and graph-theoretic designs. These approaches have seen some success, but also result in new problems such as overhead costs of authenticity/security for incentives, increased centralization, and decreased ability to handle dynamic peers. We introduce Utility-Based Clustering Architecture, (UBCA) designed to improve quality of service through the use of implicit incentives. UBCA runs on peers and groups them into logical clusters in real time, based on mutual utility gained as a result of the grouping. Simulation studies show with a high confidence that UBCA exhibits improved bandwidth and latency per access.
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