Ye Tian

Bio: Ye Tian is an academic researcher from University of Science and Technology of China. The author has contributed to research in topics: Forwarding plane & The Internet. The author has an hindex of 15, co-authored 57 publications receiving 669 citations. Previous affiliations of Ye Tian include The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Modeling, Analysis and Improvement for BitTorrent-Like File Sharing Networks

Abstract: In this paper, a simple mathematical model is presented for studying the performance of the BitTorrent (1) file sharing system. We are especially interested in the distribution of the peers with different states of the download job completedness. With the model we find that in the stable state the distribution of the download peers follows a U-shaped curve, and the parameters such as the departure rate of the seeds and the abort rate of the download peers will influence the peer distribution in different ways notably. We also analyze the file availability and the dying process of the BitTorrent file sharing system. We find that the system's stability deteriorates with the clustering of the peers, and BitTorrent's built-in "tit-for-tat" unchoking strategy could not help to preserve the integrity of the file among the download peers when the size of the community is small. An innovative peer selection strategy which enables more peers to finish the download job and prolongs the system's lifetime is proposed, in which the peers cooperate to improve the stability of the system by making a tradeoff between the current download rate and the future service availability. Finally, experimental results are presented to validate our analysis and findings.

Improving Reliability for

Abstract: Reliability of tree-like multicast overlays caused by nodes' abrupt failures is considered as one of the major problems for the Internet application-layer media streaming service (1). In this paper, we address this problem by designing a distributed and light- weighted protocol named the instantaneous reliability oriented protocol (IRP). Unlike most of existing empirical solutions, we first define the overlay reliability problem formally, and propose a protocol containing a node joining algorithm (IRP-Join), a node preemption algorithm (IRP-Preempt), and a node switching algorithm (IRP-Switch) for reactively constructing and repairing the overlay, as well as proactively maintaining the overlay. With the formal problem presentation, we set up a paradigm for solving the overlay reliability problem by theoretically proving the effectiveness of our algorithms. Moreover, by comparing IRP with existing solutions via simulation- based experiments and real-world deployment, we show that IRP achieves a better reliability, while incurs fewer structural adjustments on the multicast overlay, thus, providing a superior overall performance. Index Terms—Reliability, multicast, algorithm/protocol design and analysis.

Analytical Study on Improving DHT Lookup Performance under Churn

Abstract: The phenomenon of churn degrades the lookup performance of DHT-based P2P systems greatly. To date, a number of approaches have been proposed to handle it from both the system side and the client side. However, there lacks theoretical analysis to direct how to make design choices under different churn levels and how to configure their parameters optimally. In this paper, we analytically study three important aspects on improving DHT lookup performance under churn, i.e., lookup strategy, lookup parallelism and lookup key replication. Our objective is to build a theoretical basis for DHT designers to make better design choices in the future. We first compare the performance of two representative lookup strategies - recursive routing and iterative routing, and explore the existence of better alternatives. Then we show the effectiveness of parallel lookup in systems with different churn levels and how to select the optimal degree of parallelism. Due to the importance of key replication on lookup performance, we also analyze the reliability of replicated keys under two different replication policies, and discuss how to make configuration in different environments. Besides analytical study, our results are also validated by simulation, and Kad [1] is taken as a case to show the meaningfulness of our analysis.

Topology Mapping and Geolocating for China's Internet

Abstract: We perform a large-scale topology mapping and geolocation study for China's Internet. To overcome the limited number of Chinese PlanetLab nodes and looking glass servers, we leverage unique features in China's Internet, including the hierarchical structure of the major ISPs and the abundance of IDC data centers. Using only 15 vantage points, we design a traceroute scheme that finds significantly more interfaces and links than iPlane with significantly fewer traceroute probes. We then consider the problem of geolocating router interfaces and end hosts in China. When examining three well-known Chinese geoIP databases, we observe frequent occurrences of null replies and erroneous entries, suggesting that there is significant room for improvement. We develop a heuristic for clustering the interface topology of a hierarchical ISP, and then apply the heuristic to the major Chinese ISPs. We show that the clustering heuristic can geolocate router interfaces with significantly more detail and consistency than can the existing geoIP databases in isolation. We show that the resulting clusters expose several characteristics of the Chinese Internet, including the major ISPs' provincial structure and the centralized interconnections among the ISPs. Finally, using the clustering heuristic, we propose a methodology for improving commercial geoIP databases and evaluate using IDC data center landmarks.

Exploiting Path Diversity for Thwarting Pollution Attacks in Named Data Networking

Abstract: With information becoming a first-class citizen on the Internet, information-centric networking (ICN) is considered as a promising direction for the future Internet. Named data networking (NDN) is a prominent example of emerging ICN architectures. Unfortunately, NDN is vulnerable to various attacks targeting its in-network caching mechanism. In this paper, we focus on the false-locality pollution attack, in which an adversary repeatedly requests a number of unpopular data objects to waste the precious cache space on the NDN router and to reduce normal users’ hit ratios. With simulation experiments, we show that such an attack can cause considerable damage to the NDN network. To detect and mitigate such an attack, we introduce an algorithm that exploits the diversity of the Interest traversing paths within an Internet service provider’s point-of-presence network. We also propose inexpensive methodologies based on the probabilistic counting and Bloom filter techniques to implement the algorithm on an NDN router. The experimental results indicate that our proposed algorithm is effective in thwarting false-locality pollution. We also experiment with strategies that the adversary may utilize against our antipollution algorithm and demonstrate that such strategies are either ineffective or impractical in the real world.

Fundamentals of Queueing Theory

Abstract: Praise for the Third Edition: "This is one of the best books available. Its excellent organizational structure allows quick reference to specific models and its clear presentation . . . solidifies the understanding of the concepts being presented."IIE Transactions on Operations EngineeringThoroughly revised and expanded to reflect the latest developments in the field, Fundamentals of Queueing Theory, Fourth Edition continues to present the basic statistical principles that are necessary to analyze the probabilistic nature of queues. Rather than presenting a narrow focus on the subject, this update illustrates the wide-reaching, fundamental concepts in queueing theory and its applications to diverse areas such as computer science, engineering, business, and operations research.This update takes a numerical approach to understanding and making probable estimations relating to queues, with a comprehensive outline of simple and more advanced queueing models. Newly featured topics of the Fourth Edition include:Retrial queuesApproximations for queueing networksNumerical inversion of transformsDetermining the appropriate number of servers to balance quality and cost of serviceEach chapter provides a self-contained presentation of key concepts and formulae, allowing readers to work with each section independently, while a summary table at the end of the book outlines the types of queues that have been discussed and their results. In addition, two new appendices have been added, discussing transforms and generating functions as well as the fundamentals of differential and difference equations. New examples are now included along with problems that incorporate QtsPlus software, which is freely available via the book's related Web site.With its accessible style and wealth of real-world examples, Fundamentals of Queueing Theory, Fourth Edition is an ideal book for courses on queueing theory at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. It is also a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners who analyze congestion in the fields of telecommunications, transportation, aviation, and management science.

Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach

Abstract: Certain data-communication protocols hog the spotlight, but all of them have a lot in common. Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet explains the engineering problems that are inherent in communicating digital information from point to point. The top-down approach mentioned in the subtitle means that the book starts at the top of the protocol stack--at the application layer--and works its way down through the other layers, until it reaches bare wire. The authors, for the most part, shun the well-known seven-layer Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) protocol stack in favor of their own five-layer (application, transport, network, link, and physical) model. It's an effective approach that helps clear away some of the hand waving traditionally associated with the more obtuse layers in the OSI model. The approach is definitely theoretical--don't look here for instructions on configuring Windows 2000 or a Cisco router--but it's relevant to reality, and should help anyone who needs to understand networking as a programmer, system architect, or even administration guru.The treatment of the network layer, at which routing takes place, is typical of the overall style. In discussing routing, authors James Kurose and Keith Ross explain (by way of lots of clear, definition-packed text) what routing protocols need to do: find the best route to a destination. Then they present the mathematics that determine the best path, show some code that implements those algorithms, and illustrate the logic by using excellent conceptual diagrams. Real-life implementations of the algorithms--including Internet Protocol (both IPv4 and IPv6) and several popular IP routing protocols--help you to make the transition from pure theory to networking technologies. --David WallTopics covered: The theory behind data networks, with thorough discussion of the problems that are posed at each level (the application layer gets plenty of attention). For each layer, there's academic coverage of networking problems and solutions, followed by discussion of real technologies. Special sections deal with network security and transmission of digital multimedia.

Adventures in Stochastic Processes

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Clustering and sharing incentives in BitTorrent systems

Abstract: Peer-to-peer protocols play an increasingly instrumental role in Internet content distribution. It is therefore important to gain a complete understanding of how these protocols behave in practice and how their operating parameters affect overall system performance. This paper presents the first detailed experimental investigation of the peer selection strategy in the popular BitTorrent protocol. By observing more than 40 nodes in instrumented private torrents, we validate three protocol properties that, though believed to hold, have not been previously demonstrated experimentally: the clustering of similar-bandwidth peers, the effectiveness of BitTorrent's sharing incentives, and the peers' high uplink utilization. In addition, we observe that BitTorrent's modified choking algorithmin seed state provides uniform service to all peers, and that an underprovisioned initial seed leads to absence of peer clustering and less effective sharing incentives. Based on our results, we provide guidelines for seed provisioning by content providers, and discuss a tracker protocol extension that addresses an identified limitation of the protocol.