A guide to peer-to-peer networks

Peer to peer networking is an approach many homes and businesses take to sharing computer processing tasks. Instead of one computer being responsible for processing work, a peer to peer network shares out the work between the number of computers are included in the network. There are many benefits to peer2peer networking.

What is a peer to peer network?

In the past, client-server networking was very popular. This method of networking assigned each device with a different processing task. Peer to peer networking is different as it shares out the different tasks between each computer. Where are peer to peer networks used? Generally, this type of networking only occurs in homes and small businesses. When configuring this type of network, it is important for computer users to be aware that both wireless and wired networks can be used in peer 2 peer networking. What are the characteristics of peer to peer networking? Computers within a peer to peer network usually run the same software and networking protocols. In many cases, the computers involved will be physically located near to one another. However, due to the Internet, there are computers within a peer to peer network which are located in different countries. Is file sharing software considered to be a peer to peer network? Technically, file sharing networks such as Napster, Kazaa and Limewire are considered to be "hybrid" p2p sharing networks. This is because they share an internet connection. However, other processes such as printing and resource sharing is shared amongst the local computers that are involved in the network.

The benefits of peer to peer networking

The biggest benefits of this type of networking are enjoyed by small businesses. Peer to peer networks allow small businesses to share files from one computer to another. Also, those who work within an office will be able to share a printer between different computers. File sharing Millions of people all over the world use a hybrid p2p system to share files. This means that people now have access to photos, software and music that were once difficult to find. Although many networking software programs have been taken off the market due to the downloading of illegal materials, there are still plenty of software options available to computer users.