When peer-to-peer sharing of files first started, they utilized a centralized server to maintain the files. This was to become known as the first generation of P2P networks and is known as the server-client-protocol. When a client wanted a file, they would search the centralized server and in return the server would facilitate the client with a list of other users who have that file.

The two biggest examples of the first generation server-client-protocol P2P networks are that of Napster and eDonkey2000. Although eDonkey decided to become decentralized to update with the times, Napster instead chose the other option which was to become a paid-for service.

In general though, server-client-protocol networks were in existence long before Napster and eDonkey2000. Since the dawn of the internet era, small private communities could use a web server to store their files and facilitate the downloads to other members, but it was Napster who did this on a large enough scale to be noticed by the various copyright authorities who in-turn shut Napster down then began legal proceedings against various teenage youth who often used the network.

There have been numerous server-client-protocol networks throughout the hay day of the first generation of P2P networking. Some of these networks included Audiogalaxy who shut their doors in 2002, Napster who closed in 2001 then reopened as a pay-service, Scour Exchange who was Napster’s biggest competition but has been completely shut down as well as Soulseek which is still up and fully operational with over 120,000 members world-wide.

Although the first generation of P2P networks is considered to be out-dated, they still exist just like the old Atari consoles, their strong following and large community has allowed them to stay around for much longer than most people would have figured.

P2P networks are very popular with not just the young teenage crowd, but many people who you would never expect are involved with the various P2P file sharing networks around the world. You seriously have to think about it though. How would the average teenager get an advanced screening version of a movie before it is available in the theaters? Many of the pirated films of movies in theaters may even have been made right from the projection room.

Regardless of your age, you are always welcome to join in the P2P file sharing revolution and be part of one of the largest communities in the world, the bit torrent community. There are some internet service providers who might go as far as saying that more than 75% of the world is already active in the bit torrent P2P file sharing network. So why aren’t you? The more time goes by, the more you fall behind in the technology. It is changing almost daily and if you wait too long, you may just find yourself on a website looking up a term that is used by the program that you have no clue as to what it means.

Popularity: 21% [?]

The first generation of peer-to-peer file sharing died leaving room for the second generations to come forward and take its place in the world of P2P file sharing networks. Originally, the first generation of P2P networks focused on a centralized server that maintained the data to be down load, while the second generation made room for a decentralized structure in which the files would be maintained on the clients personal computers then transferred others through a redundant virtual network.

The first such attempt to decentralize the network was done by the Gnutella right after the fall of Napster. Gnutella was developed by Justin Frankel who was part of the Nullsoft development company. The fist working model ended up being an almost complete failure as the entire network would bottle neck due to the onslaught of ex-Napster users who came looking for a place to share their files.

The main reason why Gnutella, at first, bottle necked was due to the simple fact that Gnutella made all the nodes equal. Soon FastTrack would create a new development that allowed certain nodes to be more equal than some of the other nodes on the network.

Gnutella picked up this development and implemented it into their own system which then created the Gnutella network that we all know of today. It was this development by FastTrack that allowed for the true decentralized peer to peer networks. In the network, some nodes become super nodes and have higher priority over others. They do this because they then become basically indexing nodes that maintain a track of the less than equal nodes attached to them.

Later, the second generation peer to peer networks also added the Dynamic Hash Tables to allow for file transfers without the need of the tracker file even further decentralizing the file sharing networks.

With over 10.3 million users, not including the bit torrent protocol, world wide, the FastTrack developed method of file sharing in the second generation has grown a quite respectable reputation.

The bit torrent and various other file sharing networks are not going anywhere, nor are they just going to disappear. As long as there is a need to share virtually any type of file with a complete stranger on the other side of the world, the file sharing networks are only going to grow in size.

The file sharing and especially the bit torrent network is quite literally the largest community in the world with hundreds of million members in virtually every county world-wide. How do you join the world’s largest community? You can simply download any bit torrent client software for free. Sit back and let the program bring the file you want directly to you. The faster your connection and the more you share, the faster you can get your files. It basically that simple!

Popularity: 27% [?]

With the continuing advancement of the peer to peer file sharing protocols and clients, there was a new need for anonymity in the peer to peer networks. It is on these ideals that brought forth the third generation peer to peer file sharing protocols. The anonymous peer to peer networks! By default these new protocols give pseudonyms to the clients connected to the network which allows for the free flow of information regardless of their legality without the repercussions associated with the data sharing.

As the years go by, more and more governments and copyright authorities have been hounding the users on various peer to peer networks in an attempt to get some type of retribution for the losses associated with sharing copyrighted data. Many of these organizations including the British Phonographic Industry along with the Recording Industry Association of America have managed to bring legal action against peer to peer network users who have utilized a form of peer to peer client that doe not support an anonymous connection.

By using the pseudonyms, one user cannot directly tell who another user is, nor can they distinguish the other party’s IP Address as it is converted into a name to represent that user. Since there is no identifiable information, this for of anonymous file transfer can put a halt to the tracking of downloaders.

Due to the fact that many peer to peer networks do not allow a direct connection from peer to peer but rather all connections are routed through another one, there is no sure way to determine if one user is requesting the data for itself, or for another node in the network.

Even government organizations have funded as well as supported the development of many anonymous tools in order to assist with intelligence gathering without the mole’s worry of repercussion of being found out since it cannot be easily tracked.

There are many pros as well as cons to the allowance of anonymous peer to peer file sharing. While many may like it in order to share copyrighted data, those same people may have problems with certain types of pornographic material that can be transferred using it. There has also been speculation that the anonymous peer to peer networks have also aided in the sharing of terrorist activities and information by using a predetermined set of searchable keywords. There is also a small portion of users who only utilize the peer to peer file sharing for legal issues and not the sharing of copy righted or illegal information and data, albeit small.

Regardless as to the intentions of the various users on the many peer to peer file sharing networks, the file sharing community continues to grow without any hesitation. As each new generation enters into the technological age, many new users will be joining the file sharing community.

As long as there is information to be shared, whether legal or illegal, the peer to peer file sharing networks will continue to grow and advance to overcome any obstacle in their way.

Popularity: 7% [?]

The idea of peercasting plays an important role in the 4th generation of peer to peer file sharing networks, as it allows for a node to broadcast multiple live streams of data at the same time. The reason peercasting has been introduced into the 4th generation of peer to peer networks is for the simple fact that many downloaders wish to be able to preview a file as it is being downloaded. Due to the nature of peercasting, since it is basically a live stream, one can preview as he/she is downloading the file regardless as to whether it is a video or music file.

There have been a number of issues associated with the development of peercasting, most of which has to do with the connections themselves. In order to counter these connection issues which has plagued the peercasting networks, the concept of substreaming was developed into the networks. In all basic form, what happens is that when one node is peercasting, their client is actually sending out multiple simultaneous broadcasts of the same file, but to different nodes, this way if a connection is lost or rerouted, the stream can still be found again allowing the user to pick up the download where it was left at when the connection changed.

One of the most common forms of streaming peer to peer file sharing networks is that of the CoolStreaming network which allows a user/node broadcast a television show, thus the term peer to peer TV or for simplicity P2PTV. There are currently over 1 million users of this P2PTV form of file sharing.

In general however, the concepts of the peer to peer network have stayed the same, only the actual protocols have changed. When speaking about the tree structure of the 4th generation of peer to peer file sharing network, one must look at the older generations for the answer. Quite simply, most of the 4th generation of peer to peer file sharing protocols follow the same basic tree structure as the bit torrent protocol due to the fact that this network has already proven time after time to be one of the most stable peer to peer network as of date. The use of multiple nodes in which some nodes are considered as more than equal make connections to newer nodes as they connect and search for one of these super nodes. It is these super nodes that will then route all incoming as well as outgoing connections for the client in order to ensure that the network will not bottle neck.

Popularity: 11% [?]

The eDonkey P2P file sharing network began quite simply as a first generation server-client-protocol network, but became eDonkey2000 as part of its decentralization process. It no longer uses a centralized service as it did in the past, but unlike Napster who stayed centralized as a pay service, eDonkey became a totally different machine.

When eDonkey first began, it was sponsored by the MetaMachine Corporation who has since gone out of business, but the network still remains as a proprietary freeware based network that still runs on the original protocol developed by the MetaMachine Corporation. eDonkey2000 is a C++ based file sharing client application which was slightly modified from its original form to accommodate the decentralization process. The original server set-up used a closed-source C coded program that was developed by Lugdunum. Although the network is decentralized, it still utilizes its own servers to store the meta data much like the bit torrent indexing servers do.

Basically, the major difference between eDonkey and bit torrent, is that unlike bit torrent which you can get the .torrent file almost anywhere, the eDonkey network requires their tracker to be on their servers. Likewise, rather than the clients themselves making independent connections to each other autonomously, with the eDonkey Network, your client program first contacts the server who in turn will match your client up with another. All of the eDonkey file sharing is done in this “shaking hands” mannerism which basically requires the use of the servers.

Although it may be considered to be decentralized, the fact of the matter is that due to the necessity to shake hands with an eDonkey2000 server, it still falls under the first generation of file sharing networks, and may even be considered an out-dated technology by many. Unlike the bit torrent network, with eDonkey there is absolutely no privacy what-so-ever. Since each client has to shake hands with a server, these servers can then keep logs of all the clients around the world, as well as what files they have requested and what files they have completely downloaded.

Although eDonkey has a fairly good following that comes by means of many years of devoted users, eventually, due to the requirement to shake hands, their network will eventually disintegrate into an oblivion. eDonkey is considered by many to offer competition to the bit torrent network, but in reality, there is no competition because the number of users around the world is no where near being closely matched.

The truth is, that the bit torrent file sharing network is the largest community in the world. With literally hundreds of millions of users world-wide, this network is considered by many internet service providers to take up a large chunk of the world internet bandwidth usage.

Popularity: 6% [?]