METHOD AND APPARTUS FOR DECOMPOSING A PEER-TO-PEER NETWORK AND USING A DECOMPOSED DEER-TO-PEER NETWORK

摘要

A capability is provided for decomposing a P2P network into a plurality of sub-networks and, further, for using the decomposed P2P network. A P2P network is decomposed to form a plurality of sub-networks, where each of the sub-networks is a P2P network. A P2P network may be decomposed into sub-networks based on one or more decomposition criteria (e.g., geographic location, community of interest, and the like, as well as various combinations thereof). The decomposition of the P2P network is encoded in a network map. A node may use the network map to join the decomposed P2P network. A node may join one, some, or all of the sub-networks. The sub- networks of a decomposed P2P network may be arranged in any suitable number of hierarchical levels.