File Sharing

The concept of sharing files has been around since practically the beginning of the computer age. However, as time has gone by, the speed of Internet access, and the distance between persons wanting to share files has increased. To counter this measure, one was able to put a particular file on an FTP server so that someone else would be able to download it. Unfortunately, the biggest downfall of this, is the amount of bandwidth in which a server would utilize to allow someone to download various files. When attempting to share a file with a large audience of people, the average person cannot afford to maintain a server that will handle the bandwidth usage of multiple users and multiple files. From this need for increased file sharing capabilities, the peer-to-peer network was born.

Unfortunately, in the peer-to-peer networks were first released, they still utilized a server, much like the original HTTP, but it was much faster. It was in 2001, that a computer programmer had decided that enough was enough, and then released his very own version of a peer-to-peer network. This peer-to-peer network would become known as the BitTorrent.

With bit torrent, unlike most peer-to-peer applications, each individual client is the server. The application software connects all the various nodes together to create a full-mesh network. The reason for the use of the network style such as this, is plainly for redundancy. If your computer is on able to connect directly to another computer, your computer pushes a UDP request to another computer that is currently downloading the same file, so that the seed will actually connected to a computer instead. This process is known as pushing UDP.

The bit torrent network also allows a file to be replicated in short time. The more times any particular file is replicated, the faster is able to be downloaded, and therefore passed on to another computer. It was developed in such a fashion so that they would no longer be the issues revolving around a download that gets choked by too many downloaders at one time. Entire network is designed to be self-sustaining, assuming that each and every Seed file is maintained and available to the other computers on the network.

The bit torrent network, in a way, is its own self policing system. What is meant by this, is that if you were to be downloading 10 separate bit torn files at the same time at the maximum capabilities that your connection is capable of handling, while at the same time, you purposely set your upload speed to only have of your maximum capabilities, then the bit torrent network will punish you can slow down your download so that it equals out.

Likewise, a Seeder node on the network will only allow those with the highest capable of speeds to download directly from the Seed. The reason for this is to literally spread out the bit torrent file like a virus. The faster the various portions, or blocks, are downloaded from the seed, the faster or more seeds will become available.

Enjoy your use of the various bit torrent client applications software, and always remember to share with others.

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