A
peer-to-peer (or
P2P) computer network is a
network that relies primarily on the computing power and
bandwidth of the participants in the network rather than concentrating it in a relatively low number of
servers. P2P networks are typically used for connecting nodes via largely
ad hoc connections. Such networks are useful for many purposes. Sharing content files (see
file sharing) containing audio, video, data or anything in digital format is very common, and realtime data, such as
telephony traffic, is also passed using P2P technology.
A pure peer-to-peer network does not have the notion of clients or servers, but only equal
peer nodes that simultaneously function as both "clients" and "servers" to the other nodes on the network. This model of network arrangement differs from the
client-server model where communication is usually to and from a central server. A typical example for a non peer-to-peer file transfer is an
FTP server where the client and server programs are quite distinct, and the clients initiate the download/uploads and the servers react to and satisfy these requests.
Some networks and channels, such as
Napster,
OpenNAP, or
IRC @find, use a client-server structure for some tasks (e.g., searching) and a peer-to-peer structure for others. Networks such as
Gnutella or
Freenet use a peer-to-peer structure for all purposes, and are sometimes referred to as true peer-to-peer networks, although Gnutella is greatly facilitated by directory servers that inform peers of the network addresses of other peers.
more here
yes it is illegal to download or share copyrighted stuff. but unfortunately(or not)thats what p2p is most widely used for.
P2P what is it
Re: P2P what is it
Linear Mode
