P2P: The Future of Computing

Abstract: This paper discusses peer-to-peer file sharing and distributed computing.

In the mid-1980s, the term P2P, or peer-to-peer, was used by local area network vendors to describe the computing nodes on their networks. Previous to that, the term was used to describe ARPAnet, the military-backed computer network that would become the model for today's Internet[1]. Today however, the term P2P has a very different meaning - it has come to describe applications designed specifically to exploit peer relationships between computers, using the Internet as an extension of the local network[2]. Its primary uses include not only the sharing of huge amounts of information, but also the sharing of free resources on a vast number of computers [3]. The reasons for its success are numerous and the problems that it creates are genuine.

Peer-to-peer networking has existed for years. The IP routing structure of the Internet is still peer-to-peer, albeit with several layers of hierarchy, and individual routers act as peers in finding the best route from one point on the net to another[4]. However, it is only recently, with the development applications that utilize P2P to create vast stores of media files, that it has become immensely popular. While these applications only account for a fraction of peer-to-peer networking's uses, they have received the majority of the attention.

PEER-TO-PEER FILE-SHARING

These peer-to-peer file-sharing systems have changed the way we think about sharing data over the Net and their success can be attributed to a number of factors. Firstly, these file-sharing systems have simple implementations that make them accessible to regular people. Not only is downloading a file using these systems simple, but uploading one is easy as well. Separate programs need not be used, and the process is often invisible to the user[5]. Further, because these systems are often used with media files such as MP3s, the same data exists on a number of different accessible computers. Because of this redundancy, accessing this data becomes reliable. In addition, because of the type of content that is being shared, a trust relationship is not required between the provider of the data and the person accessing it - there is little to no consequence to receiving a corrupted media file[6].

Perhaps the two most crucial elements of the success of such systems are that they allow an incredible number of files to be gathered through the amalgamation of the files on many computers, and that increasing the value of the databases by adding more files is a natural by-product of using the tools for one's own benefit[7].