P2PConf: A Medium-Size P2P Internet Conference with Effective Floor Control

Abstract

Internet-Conferencing allows a number of participants, separated by substantial distances, to meet in a virtual space and communicate with each other. In contrast to existing systems that typically require dedicated servers to manage conferences, Skype has illustrated the potential of using P2P (peer- to-peer) technology to construct a simple yet very large VoIP application over the Internet. However, each conference in Skype is limited to at most five participants. As the interaction between Internet users increases, a conference that can accommodate more participants becomes imminent. This paper presents the design and implementation of such a P2P-based conference system, along with an effective floor control mechanism to ensure conference quality.