FastTrack Network & Applications (KaZaA & Morpheus)

Applications of the FaskTrack Network KaZaA Morpheus Groove Grokster

Kazaa (FastTrack network) Hybrid of centralized Napster and decentralized Gnutella Super-peers act as local search hubs –Each super-peer is similar to a Napster server for a small portion of the network –Super-peers are automatically chosen by the system based on their capacities (storage, bandwidth, etc.) and availability (connection time) Users upload their list of files to a super-peer Super-peers periodically exchange file lists You send queries to a super-peer for files of interest

KaZaA The FastTrack network has only three official clients: –KaZaA –Grokster –iMesh The Kazaa software family (including the Kazaa Lite family of applications) has been the single-most popular P2P file sharing program / system of all time Kazaa is fast and easy to use –However Kazaa software and the FastTrack network it utilizes appear to be declining rapidly in popularity and availability of files Some have criticized the intrusiveness of "adware" embedded in free Kazaa clients Others have complained about the frequency of encountering fake files on FastTrack

Common Features of KaZaA & Morpheus unstructured networks partially centralized indexing systems which use the concept of “SuperNodes” Peers are automatically elected to become SuperNodes if they have sufficient bandwidth and processing power In Morpheus, a central server provides new peers with a list of one or more SuperNodes with which they can connect SuperNodes index the files shared by peers connected to them and proxy search requests on behalf of these peers Queries are therefore sent to superNodes

Partially Centralized A central server registers the users to the system and facilitates the peer discovery process After a Morpheus peer is authenticated to the server, the server provides it with the IP address and port (always 1214) of one or more ”SuperNodes” to which the peer then connects Local ”SuperNodes”: –index the files shared by local peers that connected to it and –proxy search requests on behalf of these peers Examples: –KazaA –Morpheus

KaZaA/Morpheus Hybrid indexing/searching model –Not centralized like Napster, not decentralized like Gnutella Peer-to-peer file downloading using HTTP “SuperNodes” elected dynamically if sufficient bandwidth and processing power –hybrid topology model A central server keeps user registrations, logs usage, and helps bootstrapping peer discovery

Business Application

Morpheus Morpheus P2P client application downloads exist in both free and paid Ultra versions Compared to the free version, the Morpheus Ultra download additionally removes bundled advertising Morpheus clients are capable of searching: –Gnutella2 –FastTrack –eDonkey2K and –Overnet P2P networks.

Morpheus (Super-Peer) Self organizing network –Neither search requests nor actual downloads pass through any central server –The network is multi-layered, so that more powerful computers get to become search hubs ("SuperNodes") –Any client may become a SuperNode, if it meets the criteria of processing power, bandwidth and latency –Network management is automatic - SuperNodes appear and disappear according to demand

Morpheus (Super-Peer) SN1 SN3 SN2SN

Morpheus The full gamut (not just mp3’s) Uses metadata (XML) to describe contents of file; easier to find things Largely decentralized, speed of query engine rivals that of centralized systems (a la Napster) “No more” incomplete downloads –SmartStream: Fail-over system that attempts to locate another peer sharing same requested file, and automatically resume download where it left off at failed host –Improved download performance and faster searches (faststream)

More on Morpheus peer 1: file 1, peer 1: file 2, …, peer 1: file n peer 2: file 1, peer 2: file 2, …, peer 2: file n peer 3: file 1, peer 3: file 2, …, peer 3: file n file 1 file 2. file n Supernode peer 1peer 2peer 3 GET file 1 Search query Peer 2: file 1 file 1 file 2. file n file 1 file 2. file n Source: Morpheus Out of the UnderWorld by Kelly Truelove

SuperNode A Peer 1: File 1, File 2, File 3,... Peer 2: File 1, File 2, File 3, … Peer 3: File 1, File 2, File 3, … SuperNode B SuperNode C Peer 1 Peer 2 Peer 3 Search Query Get File 1 Peer 2, File1 Search results in Morpheus contain the IP addresses of peers sharing the files that match the search criteria File downloads are purely peer-to-peer

Morpheus’s SuperNode Morpheus peers are automatically elected to become SuperNodes if they have sufficient bandwidth and processing power (a configuration parameter allows users to opt out of running their peer in this mode) Once a Morpheus peer receives its list of SuperNodes from the central server, little communication with the server is required

Advantages of Partial Centralized Indexing Reducing discovery time in comparison with purely decentralized indexing system such as Gnutella and Freenet Reducing the workload on central servers in comparison with fully centralized indexing system such as Napster

Morpheus (Super-Peer) Intelligent downloads –Morpheus implements a type of fail-over system that attempts to locate another peer sharing the same file, and automatically resume the download where it left off at the failed host –When Morpheus search engine finds that more than one active peer is serving a particular file, it associates the list of peers with the file for later reference –If the user instructs Morpheus to download the file, it can distribute the download task over this list of peers SuperNodes act like local search hubs and proxy search requests on behalf of their connected peers Supernode Peer 1Peer 2Peer 3 File 1 File 2. File n File 1 File 2. File n File 1 File 2. File n Search query Peer 2:file 1 Get file 1