Peer to Peer Programming Systems, Protocols, and Economic Models

Legality of Peer to Peer Despite Grokster’s loss at the Supreme Court, File Sharing software was not ruled illegal In 1984 Betamax won a decision stating that VCR companies could not be held liable if their users used the technology illegally According to Andrew Kantor of USA Today, the Court’s decision in the Grokster case was “Grokster and Streamcast bad, file-sharing ok” The decision was based on the fact that Grokster, and Streamcast were proven to know, and even have encouraged their users use of copyrighted material

Usenet Usenet is now used as one of the main sources for illegal P2P file distribution Users upload files to centralized servers through which members can search and download individual parts

USENET Gaining Popularity Over 2.00 TB of data uploaded to servers every day Much of this is automated spamming Grew in popularity much because of AOL’s integrated news service, now “Google Groups” Servers located all over the world Individual groups run by volunteers

Usenet – What do you need? Usenet News Service News Reader File Archiver Repair utility NFO Viewer

News Service Most Popular – GigaNews, ThunderNews, Astraweb Provides access to Usenet servers Usually a subscription service Packages based on how many gigabytes you want to download per month Some have pay by download service ex. Astraweb

News Reader Most popular by far is Grabit found at Once Usenet servers can be accessed through a news service, news readers allow you to view and download the content Multiple files can be selected and then downloaded directly to the users hard drive Have limited search capability throughout entire usenet service

File Archiver Most popular is WinRar This is simply used to unpack compressed files that were uploaded to server to save space Similar in function to Winzip

NFO Viewer Most popular is Quick NFO Allows you to read file info about the file before you download it Comes with the extension.nfo Completely optional

Repair Utility Most common is Quick Par Use complex algorithms to fill in missing or corrupted parts of large files Saves poster from having to repost individual parts of a file

Usenet – Good vs. Bad Good Extremely fast Extremely reliable Clean from viruses Capable of distributing large files Bad Not Free Retention times Can be confusing

IRC Internet Relay Chat Predecessor of Instant messaging like AIM, and MSN Client connects to IRC server, where real time communication can take place Gained notoriety through usage during a Soviet Coup in 1991 during media blackout, and by Kuwati’s during the First Gulf War Now used for Peer to Peer file sharing

IRC – What do you need? Internet Relay Chat Client Knowledge of IRC request language IRC Search Engine

Internet Relay Chat Client Most popular MIRC Allows User to Connect to IRC servers Servers behave much like Chat rooms Some Clients are free, but MIRC is most user friendly and costs $20.00 US

IRC Language Examples: /msg xdcc send # - Requests the specified pack number from the bot. /msg xdcc list - Requests a list of packs available from the bot. /msg xdcc remove - Removes all files one has queued for sending. (This only works via msg.) /msg xdcc remove # - Removes the file in the specified queue position. (This only works via msg.) /msg xdcc info # - Requests information about the specified pack number. XDCC is a script language created for and used by IRC clients Files are distributed by “bots” automated programs that wait for incoming requests XDCC uses special language in order to request files from these bots

IRC Search Engines Most popular – IRC spy, and Packet news Allows users to search IRC servers and locate files Identify server, bot, name and description of file, length of time online, and sometimes can connect you right through a link Without them, finding a specific file would be impossible

IRC – Good vs. Bad GOOD Loaded with files Good retention rates Relatively good speeds Capable of distributing large files Bad Prone to viruses Not always the requested file Lots of spam, can be overwhelming

BitTorrent Definitive P2P protocol. Users connect directly to other users in order to share data Users download random pieces of a file from a “seeder” first, and then share amongst each other in a “swarm” Legal use is increasing more and more by companies who wish to distribute their own large files cheaply to multiple users

BitTorrent – What do you need? BitTorrent Client MakeTorrent program Tracker Site Web Host

BitTorrent Client Most popular - Azureus, uTorrent, BitTornado Clients can gain access to same files, user preference is only difference Allows access to peers sharing requested file Provides options as to how to distribute or download Tracks download status and speeds

MakeTorrent Program used to create Torrent Files Not necessary if downloading only Links File to tracker

Tracker Site Most popular – thepiratebay.org, torrentspy.com Trackers are used to link source file to different parts in swarm Allow users access to file in the absence of original seeder Sites work like search engines, providing list of up-to-date available files in the network

Web Host Often the same as the tracker site Any place on the net where others can get a link to your file Can be personal webpage, online storage space, or anywhere others can view your file

BitTorrent Good vs. Bad GOOD Most Anonymous Software is Free Supports Large File Sharing BAD Speeds depend on number of users in swarm Seeding process takes significant time

Limewire Predecessors – Napster, Grokster, Streamcast, Kazaa, WinMX Free to download and use, offers upgrade to pro which claims faster “turbo” downloads, an account, and 24/7 customer support Currently download.com’s fifth most popular program Runs on java platform

Limewire – What do you need? Limewire Client

LimeWire Client Has built in search function Connects to other Limewire users in a peer to peer format Free to download and use Offers file previews before download completes

LimeWire – Good vs. Bad Good Plenty of Content Fast speeds depending on number of users Free to use Bad Slower speeds on large files Downloads easily traced through ISP queries

What does it all mean? There’s no one successful business model that encompasses P2P No one program offers all the features users desire (fast, spyware free downloads that support large files, and protection from copyright violation) The P2P industry is ready for a new program, that requires only a cheap one-time-fee subscription, but offers all the features listed above