Abstract:The features of simple description, small updates item and weak dependence are the main characteristics of updates of key-attributes in P2P systems. Accordingly, an optimistic data consistency maintenance method based on key-attributes is proposed. In the method, the update of key-attributes is separated from user update requests. Key-Updates are propagated by latency-overlay update propagation model, that is, updates are always propagated to the nodes having maximum or minimum latency, and assured and uncertain propagation paths of updates are all taken into account. Based on classifying key-update conflicts, a double-level reconciling mechanism including buffer preprocessing and update-log processing is applied to detect and reconcile conflicts, and then conflicts are solved by policies as last-writer-win and divide-and-rule. Lastly, update-log management method and maintenance method brought by node failure and network partitioning are discussed for the above is deployed based on the information storied in update-log. Delaying key-attributes updates cannot occur by the optimistic disposal method, and then it cannot depress efficiency of resource location based on key-attributes, which adapts well to P2P systems for Internet. The simulation results show that it is an effective optimistic data consistency maintenance method, achieving good consistency overhead, resource location and resource access overhead, and having strong robustness.