Monday, April 6, 2015

Class 8, Peer to Peer (P2) & BitTorrent

Class 8, Peer to Peer (P2) & BitTorrent

Peer to Peer is another type of network.  Each of the computers in this type of network have the same level of ability/access/prividges – they are “peers”.  The basic difference of a Peer to Peer Network  to a Client – Server Network is that there is no centralized administrative system.  Information goes directly from one computer to another.

BitTorrent is a file sharing protocol used in Peer to Peer Networks. For the non-computer person, I would refer to it as the "application" that needs to be downloaded to perform this activity.  What is the activity?  It is the movement of very large files which can, at times, have a significant impact on speed, bandwidth, internet traffic etc.  Essentially, BitTorrent provides the ability to use many "smaller" computers to work collaboratively to move large files instead of relying on a very large computer to do so.



There are many applications for the Peer to Peer network, many of which are being developed and tested now.  This naturally brings with it some legal issues surrounding copyright questions, but as the platform becomes more familiar and the application potential expands, many organizations are looking to use them including Disney and the US Military.  This video details the application of Peer to Peer Wifi  for affordable Classroom applications.


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