Performance analysis of structured overlay networks

Acknowledgements This monograph summarizes five years of research studies, an everlasting struggle for publications, numerous perceived nervous breakdowns, and above all a very pleasant time with my colleagues who by now have all become dear friends of mine. This work would not have been possible if it had not been for them and a number of other people who all helped and supported me in different ways. First of all I would like to thank my advisor Prof. Phuoc Tran-Gia who not only provided me with an excellent opportunity to work in a scientific environment but did so with great technical as well as interpersonal commitment. Due to his untiring efforts I was able to participate in both industrial as well as Eu-ropean research projects. Beyond that I was also given the opportunity to visit international conferences and colleagues, which was an invaluable experience I would not like to have missed. I would also like to express my gratitude to Prof. Jörg Eberspächer and Prof. Naoki Wakamiya who both acted as reviewers of this thesis and provided me with valuable comments in discussions at multiple occasions including joint projects, conferences, workshops, and short term visits. I am also very much obliged to Prof. Dr. Klaus Schilling and Prof. Dr. Dietmar Seipel for being available as examiners for my disputation. Furthermore, I would like to thank Markus Fiedler, Ilkka Norros, Masayuki Murata, and Krzysztof Paw-likowski for providing me the opportunity to visit their research laboratories. My deepest appreciation goes to our secretary Mrs. Förster who with surpassing patience and dedication makes life a lot easier for us at the department. I would also like to thank the people at Bosch, Siemens, AOK, and DATEV who worked together with me over the last five years. From both communication and i Acknowledgements collaboration with them I gained a great deal of experience and never lost track of the practical aspects of my work. In addition to this I would like to thank and especially Holger Schnabel, who all completed their diploma thesis under my supervision and thereby eased my workload. I also had the privilege of working with amazing colleagues, who were always generous with their time and expertise. In particular, I'm very much indebted to Dirk Staehle who has been generous and unstinting with his advise and suggestions. He never got tired of discussing a problem over coffee and fascinatingly always came …