The PEPITO project focus on completely decentralized models of P2P computing. It intends to:

• study the use models of P2P systems, ie. how they are perceived by users and what new applications are possible;
• develop the foundations of P2P computing, including formal foundations (calculi, proof techniques, security and resource models) and new distributed algorightms (for diffusing information and coping with multi-consistent views);
• provide a language-independant distribution subsystem tailored for P2P computing;
• provide programming languages and platforms using this, showing that they are useful by implementing convincing demonstrator applications.

• Current work in WP3: DSS - JNI (Stéphane, Vincent).

EPFL is active in the following work packages:

Here is a list of the PEPITO sub-projects, EPFL is involved in. The list also contains project partners and respective man months (in brackets for the project partners).

• Models of peer-to-peer group collaboration (WP1):
  • This task will identify key issues of peer-to-peer computation and develop a formal calculus over these issues.
  • 6 man months. With: INRIA (6), UCAM (10), UCL (6).
  • Martin, Uwe.
• Transactions and the semantics of failure (WP1):
  • This task will apply the multifaceted concept of "transaction" to the peer-to-peer context and see how the different facts can be used there.
  • 10 man months. With: UCAM (18), UCL (12).
  • Martin, Vincent.
• Probabilistic algorithms (WP2):
  • This task will study the probabilistic forms of agreement in the peer-to-peer context, where intermittent failures make exact agreement difficult or impossible.
  • 18 man months.
  • Uwe, Rachid.
• Java/DACE/Scala (WP3):
  • This task will provide a frontend to the distribution developed in WP4 as a set of Java library classes. We will adapt the Scala language and the DACE framework to use these classes.
  • 24 man months.
  • Stéphane.
• Distributed auction systems (WP5):
  • This application explores diffusion-based computing. It is a completely decentralized auction system implemented using an adaption of the existing DACE framework.
  • 6 man months. With: UCL (6).
  • Rachid.

Executive Summaries

• Executive Summary for year 2002 [Thomas Sjöland]

Reports (restricted access)

• Periodic Progress Report No 1 for year 2002 [Thomas Sjöland]

• EPFL has set off a Global Computing Center, in which about 90 members of the school's institute of computer science are involved.

• The PEPITO group of EPFL supports the creation of a network of excellence on Foundations of Global Computing. The following people from EPFL have been involved: Rachid, Uwe, Martin, Christine.