Patent ID: 8898232

Claim:
A method for live streaming media in a peer-to-peer network, said method comprising: determining, by a joining peer, its peer entitled degree and its peer excess degree; and executing, by said joining peer, a contribution aware connection policy, and wherein said peer-to-peer network is a mesh-based network, wherein said joining peer in said peer-to-peer network receives a level of service, for streaming media, proportional to said joining peer's contribution wherein said joining peer's contribution is determined by dividing said joining peer's uplink bandwidth by an average bandwidth per flow, wherein said method is executed in a distributed manner by said joining and further comprises: determining an entitled incoming degree; determining an excess incoming degree; sending a request to join message; receiving an address of a source; contacting said source; receiving from said source a first list of potential parent peers; contacting one of said potential parent peers on said first list of potential parent peers to attempt to establish a connection with said potential parent peer; receiving from said contacted potential parent peer a second list of potential parent peers; and contacting one of said potential parent peers on said second list of potential parent peers to attempt to establish a connection with said potential parent peers on said second list of potential parent peers, and wherein said bandwidth per flow represents said average bandwidth of each established connection.