SOME OF MY PRACTICAL WORK

Current research domain: peer-to-peer networks and algorithms

Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks are becoming more and more popular. Beside the advantages they bring, their intrinsic attributes such as dynamic topology change, equal capability among nodes, and node heterogeneity raise different challenges that have to be met. Our research is focused on addressing, what we belive to be, the three most important challenges. First, there is the efficient and scalable data location within a P2P system. Second, there is the P2P system adaptivity as response to different actions such as network faults and partitions. Finally, we work on the developing of communication primitives for P2P networks.

B. Carton, V. Mesaros, and P. Van Roy. Improving the Scalability of Logarithmic-Degree DHT-based Peer-to-Peer Networks. In Proc. of Euro-Par. Aug-Sept 2004.

V. Mesaros, B. Carton, and P. Van Roy. P2PS: Peer-to-Peer Development Platform for Mozart. In Proc. of the 2nd International Mozart/Oz Conference MOZ2004. Oct 2004.

L. Onana, V. Mesaros, P. Van Roy, and S. Haridi, "NetProber: A Component for Enhancing Efficiency of Overlay Networks in P2P Systems", In Proc. of IEEE P2P'02, Sept. 2002.

S. Ratnasamy, M. Handley, R. Karp, and S. Shenker, "Application-level Multicast using Content-Addressable Networks", In Proc. of the 3rd International Workshop on Networked Group Communication, Nov. 2001.

I. Stoica, et al. "Chord: A Scalable Peer-to-Peer Lookup Service for Internet Applications", In Proc. of ACM SIGCOMM, Aug. 2001.

Software tools

P2P System - We are developing a peer-to-peer system library at INFO/UCL and CETIC. We are implementing most of the ideas we have as outcome from the PEPITO and ORAGE projects. There are also other good reasons for developing the system at UCL:
- test different P2P systems: Tango [2], S-Chord [4, 5], and DKS [X],
- have a P2P system on which we can add and test new functionalities,
- have a "touchable" outcome of our work so we can show demos to others

NetMap - a physical network simulator. It merely simulates the physical network and provides one with the possibility to attach logical nodes to physical network nodes. This allowed us simulate and measure the mapping between the overlay network over and the physical network in peer-to-peer systems. (See NetProber [6]).

Multichnannel Data Protocol - MDP; a transport protocol providing the possibility to cuncurrently send data over the same connection.

HttpClient package implements the HTTP 0.9 and HTTP 1.0 protocols, conform RFC 1945, providing a flexible programming interface. Its interface is related with the retrieving of the documents over the network, as well as with accessing their transmission rate.

Integrated Communication Environment is intended to accomplish the communication between different users in a distance education (DE) application, using Internet. Based on Visual C++/Java client-server architecture and working on TCP/IP protocol, ICE is able to establish connections between different clients (computers connected to the network) and a dedicated server application. I had the opportunity to coordinate a 4-persons team when developing it, within CTMED centre.

Tele-Medicine using DICOM standard. At CTMED centre I coordinated 4-persons team in developing a network based three-tire application having as the main goal the transfer of medical images conform DICOM standard.

Digital Image Processing Virtual Laboratory - Faculty graduation thesis. This application (Java applet) gives the possibility of image remote accessing and processing them at the users' part.