Before Recitation

For this recitation, you'll be reading most of Resilient Overlay Networks. This paper explains how to build an overlay network on top of the existing Internet that has better properties or other features. Many Internet applications, such as peer-to-peer applications are built as overlay networks.

To guide you as you read:

• Section 1 introduces the main goals of RON and summarizes the main results. Section 2 gives support for the context and motivation of RON. Section 3 lays out each of RON's design goals.
• As you read Section 4, don't get too stuck on 4.2.2. It's important that you understand that RON uses measurement to evaluate and select paths, less important that you closely scrutinize its equations.
• Skip Section 5.
• Skim Section 6. The main results of the paper are summarized at the end of the intro. You should understand how the authors evaluated RON to determine those results.
• Section 7 addresses some criticisms of RON. Section 8 concludes the paper.

As you read, think about:

• Why is RON able to overcome failures that BGP can't?
• Why does RON collect different application metrics?
• How far does RON scale?
• Routing is normally done at the network layer, but RON (and BGP) operate at the application layer. What are the benefits and drawbacks of this change?
• What is the connection between this paper and lecture?

Question for Recitation: Before you come to this recitation, you'll turn in a brief answer to the following questions (really—we don't need more than a sentence or so for each question). Your TA will be in touch about exactly how to turn that in. Your answers to these questions should be in your own words, not direct quotations from the paper.

• What is the goal of RON? How was it designed to meet this goal?
• Why do we need RON? (Or why do the authors believe that we need RON?)
• If RON would be in use today, who would be impacted by it?

As always, there are multiple correct answers for each of these questions.

During Recitation

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After Recitation

Outline for this recitation.