ANts P2P

I have just found this tread on Zeropaid: http://www.zeropaid.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=24834

How Big Can an Anonymous Net like ANts or Mute Get?

The thread states:
"During testing ANts users have experienced both fast(50 K b/s) and slow(2 K b/s) download speeds - fast when the network was small(10 users) and slow when the network was bigger(40 to 60 users).

So how big can an ANts (or mute) network become before it is too slow to be useable?

Can these scaling issues be solved or do such networks inherently have to be small?

Jason Rohrer the developer of the original ad hoc ants network application MUTE has tried to answer some of these questions in an interview on http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/...ute.html?page=1:

Jasons says: the larger the number of users, lower the average user connection speed and the higher average number of downloads per user then the SLOWER THE AVERAGE DOWNLOAD SPEED OF EACH AND EVERY USER."

Gwren has probably already thought of this.

A solution that I would suggest is use an emergent network feedback algorithm.

For example a node should be stopped from downloading when the ratio of proxied traffic to own traffic falls below a specified level(x).

The specified level(x) could start at twice as much proxied traffic as own traffic (proxy as much traffic as download no leaching of network proxy capacity in a 3 node net).

The speed of own traffic could then be monitored.

When the speed of own traffic decreases then the specified level could be increased in steps say to five times as much proxied traffic as own traffic.

When the speed of own traffic increases then the specified level could be decreased in steps say to the minimum of twice as much proxied traffic as own.

This emergent network feedback would have the effect of increasing network proxy capacity for everyone when the network becomes stressed by too many downloads. And conversely increasing download speed when the network had spare capacity.

So for example, if the network is big and a new user tries to download. If this does not clog the network leading to his download to slow down (as network had spare capacity) then his specified level would remain at the minimum.

However, if the download causes the network to clog then his specified level(x) is increased and his downloads stops until he has proxied enough traffic to acheive this new specified level(x).

The extra capacity now in the network should allow him to download. The specified level would continue to be increased until the network could cope with download up to the maximum specifed level.

Note all nodes trying to download would participate in increasing capacity so sharing network proxy capacity around the network.

This idea of emergent network feedback would stop nodes from demanding more from the network than it can provide. Thus reducing failed downloads which waste precious bandwidth

In other words, downloads that are forwarded through network but never reach destination due to a deadlock(the net being flooded or clogged) .

Gwren already in ANts blocks queries and sets limits for queries to reduce network traffic.

So in my opinion I think ANts is scalable if there is network feedback so that the proxing capacity of the network is shared equitably and not wasted on failed downloads.

This method would also allow connection that provide the most proxy capacity (upload speed) and connectivity(neighbour connections) to download most. As they would proxy most.

BTW Keep up the great work Gwren it is much appreciated.