Peer-to-peer (P2P) technology
Peer-to-peer (P2P) technology came to the forefront of popular consciousness when Napster’s music sharing network became a rage, and drew attention for various reasons. While the future of Napster may be uncertain, the underlying peer-to-peer technology is poised to change the way we use networks. A P2P network essentially consists of several computers (or peers) that directly exchange data among themselves. This is quite unlike a client-server model where all clients (or computers) get data from a single central server. The functions of searching for data and the actual exchange of data take place via software that is installed on the participating machines.
So, what’s next?
The fact that P2P technology provides developers with a networking architecture that facilitates direct communication between people makes it very popular for applications that involve the exchange of data.However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Coming soon are intelligent search engines like BadBlue (www.badblue.com) that use P2P agents to search networks for files that have been publicly shared by users. This will probably lead to the next step in the evolution of search engine technology. But some of the more complex applications that are beginning to come out now are those that improve the utilisation of network resources. Chaincasting, from Chain-Cast Networks (www.chaincast.com/technology/chaincasting.html), involves the use of P2P technologies to establish streaming chains that reduce the costs associated with the high bandwidth requirements for video streaming. Whether it is entertainment or work, P2P technology is not just making its presence felt, but is also providing a viable and preferred a ternative to client-server networking. So if you still aren’t a link in the P2P network, prepare to become one very soon.