Maybe mentioning the P2P concept you stay the same. It is common for anyone who makes use of this system at the user level but who has no knowledge at the level of advanced computing and the operation of information transfer over the network.
And this is precisely what is the P2P or the Peer to Peer , because it is a network with a communication method in which all users fulfill the same role, that is, horizontal.
Discover what it is and how you can take advantage of this type of network to make your software and application downloads in a much faster and safer way, let’s go there!
Index:
What is a Peer to Peer network and what is it for? Definition
The Peer to Peer or P2P network is a client-client communication method that allows us to enjoy information from the network coming from an equal, which makes, as we do, the times of both client as a server This means that it does not provide us with a superior, but someone who has similar characteristics to ours.
The aspect of the transmission of information works without the existence of fixed clients or servers , it is we, each other, who provide content to other users and at the same time receive them.
Other aspects can be defined in client-server relations , but this, which is what gives the meaning to the network, is horizontal or parallel , given, as the name implies when translating it into Spanish, between peers, between nodes that work in the same way.
The first application of the type was Nasper, launched in 1999 , being sold as software in which users establish a virtual network independent of physics, so that there is no administrative authority or another restriction.
Although it is generally to designate this concept to content download programs , the truth is that, due to its characteristics, the exchange that can occur is not limited to this aspect but we have to the peer network is also used by telephony systems in the network as well as the manipulation of huge virtual information.
How does a network of P2P peers work?
The contents of our computer ( music, documents, videos, software … ) are available to be shared and that another user, like us, downloads and runs them at will.
Similarly, when we search and find a content, it does not belong to a company or is on a server but the results that are reflected correspond to the content that other users have on their computers, proceeding to download them, if they we want from them.
Any computer interconnected on the same network offers and at the same time receives information in all formats. The implementation of the networks is superimposed , being built based on nodes and on others. The flow of information is due to the bandwidth of the connected users.
What are the characteristics of Peer to Peer networks? Advantages and disadvantages
To consider a peer network as appropriate, it is interesting that it has the following characteristics.
Features
- Scalability: Its reach is worldwide and, therefore, the potential user can be counted by hundreds of millions. A greater demand, greater need for nodes or points, something that is automatically solved because with our presence as a user we provide a unit for it. The addition of a new user does not imply a delay in the functionality of the services, as it does in server-client communications.
- Robustness: The distribution of networks makes there is greater robustness, essential when there are failures due to data replication.
- Decentralization: They are decentralized by definition, a characteristic intrinsic to the concept. The nodes have no special functions and therefore are not essential. Interestingly, some of the networks that we know as P2P do not have this feature.
- Cost distribution: Resources are exchanged for resources, the costs being divided among all the users that form part of the network.
- Anonymity: Anonymity is desired not only for who has a file to share but also for who wants to download it, for the server where it is located and even for the request that has been made to access it. However, this concept collides fully with copyright, digital rights management comes into play, an intermediate point for which everyone is satisfied but, unfortunately, does not usually work.
- Security: Desirable but difficult to achieve, really. What is most demanded is the identification of malicious nodes to avoid content with embedded malware, spying and other aspects that put all users at risk. For this, some networks have sandboxes, multiclave encryption, file comments, reputation systems for users …
Advantages
- Reduced costs: The ability to function by sharing resources makes these networks even free. Another issue would be that a free service is compatible with the law when it comes to file sharing. In any case, those that work by subscription are very economical, much more than acquiring the contents separately.
- High efficiency: The way to share files is simple and fast.
Disadvantages
- Legality: Sometimes, many, content that is copyrighted is shared, which turns out to be, in effect, illegal. The law is worth this practice in many countries, among which is Spain.
- Risk: Many of these programs that allow the transfer of Peer to Peer files are a door to malware , especially spyware. Thus, it is necessary that you have protection and that, if possible, look for a service with preview, user comments and other methods of detecting inappropriate and risky content.
What types of networks between P2P pairs are there?
The most common and interesting classification we can do is related to the degree of centralization of the networks , since they can be centralized, mixed or pure.
Centralized
- Its architecture is monolithic , with transactions made through a single server that serves to link all the nodes at the same time as it makes a distribution of the nodes that will store the contents.
- Its administration is very dynamic , the content being permanently available.
- The privacy of users is limited.
- There are problems of single points of failure , related to legality and maintenance costs and band consumption.
There is a strong lack of scalability.
Mixed
- There is a central server that acts as a centralizing resources and managing them that is waiting for requests.
- There is an index system that offers an absolute address that will serve as the routing terminal .
- In addition, the inclusion of more than one server is allowed.
- The identity of the nodes is not known nor is their information stored, not giving the share between server and clients .
- These are the ones that save the information , which will be recognized by the server.
- Even so, with the server down you can maintain the relationship between the nodes and their communication and file transfer.
Pure
- It does not have central management nor does it need it.
- They are the users, the nodes, all of them clients and servers, asking for information, receiving the requests and, in turn, storing the files.
- It has no central router .
Then we leave you the most relevant information regarding the most known and used P2P softwares in history, from its launch until today. Also if you are not installing programs on your computer, you can visit the best Torrent websites that are still open and have not been blocked, yet …
Ares
It has its own peer network, Ares P2P Network . It was a worldwide bombshell, but, above all, in Spanish speaking.
Its interface was very basic and not very aesthetic at the beginning, although it was always the winner at the time, above the rest, having a huge support for torrents files . Its negative point was the amount of malware that was introduced in files with names of interest at the time.
And although we talked in the past, the truth is that today it is still used and, in fact, its main problem has improved considerably thanks to the preview functionality that allows us to recognize whether or not we want to download it that interests us. On the other hand, the flow of files that is shared is quite abundant, very simple, in addition.
Soulseek
Focused on audio files , is used to share music content, mainly in .mp3, which is the most used format for tracks.
The contact between users is given through thematic rooms, so that the influx of messages and files is neat, stable and easy to understand. In any case, we also find other compatible audio formats and, in fact, other types of files such as videos.
uTorrent
It is possibly the most used Peer to Peer network today. It is a client of Bit Torrent created by themselves, very light in character, of great power and, at the same time, very fast.
It also highlights the design a little more worked if we compare it with many others, even without being any wonder, and a very good classification, on the website that offers the torrents, which allows us to find the contents in a way Simple and intuitive and that has little to do with the old P2P concept.
It’s great to know that, in addition, it has a portable version and remote control of downloads as well as other functions and extensions that make it a really complete program
BitTorrent
Another client of the same name, very used network of the classics. Like a lot for not using almost resources of your team, is very powerful and also has the remote control function to manage downloads.
eMule
Very old, of which more, and is still active . It has been precisely the fact that it is a type of open source software that makes it possible, since there is a selfless community that is responsible for maintaining and updating it.
The revolution that it supposed came from the comparison with respect to another P2P, eDonkey, because it took a leap in qualities that really fascinated everyone.
It uses the eDonkey and Kad servers, a decentralized network that is of interest for having the ability to find files that, apparently, are nowhere, offering, on many occasions, content firsts.
In addition, it is also very suitable for finding old content, since most of the users who use it are there since its inception and the contents are maintained on many occasions. Thus, not only stands out for its exclusive content, or almost, for current, but also for being old glories. Of course, it is neither fast nor modern anymore.
LimeWire
It was another free Peer to Peer client designed for use on the Gnutella network. His protocol was open and his license was GLP . Interestingly, he was also a BitTorrent client. His substitutes were WireShare and FrostWire.
Kazaa
Another file-sharing application that we no longer have, by default and whose last stable version was launched in 2006. I mainly worked on the music share in .mp3 and movies in DivX (how fashionable it was in the moment), using, for that, the FastTrack protocol (from the same creators).
He lived a peak, which ended as the demands for copyright were piled up, and another, later, that occurred after its relaunch, this time completely legal in all aspects, as a subscription service via the web and that included contract with greats like Universal Music, EMI and even Microsoft.
There were also versions like Kazaa Lite K ++ or Kazaa Lite Resurrection , which used their network.
iMesh
It was, in the past, a P2P app to share all kinds of files in as many formats as you can think of. It had its own network called IM2Net , which was centralized. This one was not free and only worked on Windows.
It had a music subscription service in Canada and the United States which allowed the download of the content, reaching a reputation that in the latter country became the third service of the type. You could also buy each track for a very low price. The third option, for all, was access to content without rights. In addition, there was a legal service to download ringtones.
Morpheus (FastTrack network) h3>
This was another P2P file sharing system for computers running Windows. In the beginning, it started with Opennap as a communicative protocol but soon afterwards it became compatible with several of those used in the peer to peer. It currently has both Gnutella support and its own network, which is called Neonet.
He lives for 7 years and disappears after complaints about important names in the music sector, along with other Stream Cast websites . However, we can still find the software, now yes, promoting a respect for the copyright of the content that is shared.
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In this case we talk about a program that managed to have maintenance from 2000 to 2011, when its latest stable version was launched. Their forums closed in 2005 by court order and their assets were transferred, a year later, to a subsidiary of the aforementioned iMesh. This, based on Gnutella , allowed the download of files on the peer to peer network.
Before this, we could enjoy three versions with Gnutella. The Free version, which was free but was more limited in performance and included adware. The Pro version was paid and, as it is to be understood, its benefits improved. Lite was lighter and more restrained at the same time.
The subsidiary that got the goods launched BearShare V6 , which is nothing related to this network, operating alongside iMesh, as well as other products.
WinMx (OpenNap and WPNP networks)
This is a client-client freeware that allows the transfer of files between computers running Windows. In 2005 he won the gold medal as the main provider of music files.
However, his fame died shortly after that same year, disappearing the web and official servers. Even so, you can still use modifiers that work with third-party patches, unofficial, of course.