P2P Networks

What is a P2P Network (P2P)

P2P networks are typically used for connecting nodes via largely ad hoc connections. Such networks are useful for many purposes. Sharing content files containing audio, video, data or anything in digital format is very common, also realtime data, such as telephony traffic, is also passed using P2P technology. A pure P2Pnetwork does not have the notion of clients or servers, but only equal peer nodes that simultaneously function as both "clients" and "servers" to the other nodes on the network. This model of network arrangement differs from the client-server model where communication is usually to and from a central server. A typical example for a non P2Pfile transfer is an FTP server. Where the client and server programs are quite distinct, the clients initiate the download/uploads and the servers react to and satisfy these requests.

Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer-to-peer

There are a number of P2P networks that are in affect today. Off the top of my head I can name Napster, E-mule, Limewire and BitTorrent. Napster and Limewire are aimed towards music rather than other file digital format’s, which allow these P2P applications to be used as specific tools for obtaining Music. However E-mule & Bittorrent are aimed towards a very wide array of file digital format’s covering Digital Books, 3D models, Music Albums, Computer Games of all platforms, films and allot of other digital media. Referring to the above I would like to say P2P networks can be looked at in many ways and not just as a form of application to obtain illegal content. I personally look at a P2P network as a form of sending and receiving information to and from user to user. I would also like to remove the idea of communicating without a server, and being completely dependent upon another user’s content. The reason for this is, to look at other forms of P2P networks that wouldn’t usually be looked upon as a P2P network. There are thousands in action today but to keep things simple ill pick out three: MSN, Vales Steam and MySpace.com, out of the three I will look at steam as it’s the more unknown P2P network.

What is Steam?

Steam is a content delivery, digital rights management, multiplayer and communications service and platform developed by Valve Corporation for digital entertainment. It is currently used to digitally distribute and manage games including Half-Life and Half-Life 2. Steam also replaces WON, the original authentication framework for Half-Life multiplayer games and a number of other now largely or entirely defunct titles. Steam exists for a number of reasons. Its initial inception was borne from Valve's experiences of releasing patches for Half-Life, their first product: they found the releases times of great stress and disruption, and were frustrated that only a small minority of their users were even aware of each update's existence. Furthermore, the sheer amount of content that was being produced by both Valve and their community, following the explosion of modding under their lead. Led to physical bandwidth bottlenecks that also limited distribution. At some point, perhaps from the beginning, the design expanded to also encompass the digital distribution of complete games. Removing more bottlenecks still - this time middle men like publishers and distributors - and in the process becoming a self-contained platform for multi-player authentication. It is this aspect of Steam that the service is best known for today. Today Steam has expanded further, and now includes anti-cheat and instant messaging functionality. It distributes media such as trailers and occasionally independently-produced short films. Despite popular opinion, and perhaps their past actions, Valve does not presently seem overly concerned with using Steam DRM to combat Copyright infringement of their software. Their future plans focus more on making the platform more useful for developers and customers rather than more frustrating for anyone stealing the games.

Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_(content_delivery) (copy and past link)

You could be thinking, “How does that relate to a P2P network”. Steam is a content deliver system that provides its exiting and potential customers with the ability to:

Keep the existing products up to date
(Client to User)

Purchase and deliver new products via the Internet
(Client to User)

Advertise new & future products with the use of video as a medium
(Client to User)

Provide add-ons (mod’s) to extending the current products use
(Client to User)

Provide a platform for users to play against or with another
(User to User) P2P

Allow users to communicate and find each other in mass quantity of the game servers
(User to User) P2P

I have used User to User but the client will always be there in between, this could be looked at as the P2P application its self for example. When a song is being downloaded from Limewire, Limewire is still there providing the platform to achieve the task.

Steam is a new type of application that I’m sure many will follow. What stands out most to me is the way how one independent software developer, has established its market place without the use of a third party publisher and at the same time creating a platform that provides an obviously cost affective means of advertising to an audience that is already interested in the product and future products.

Steam can be found at: http://www.steampowered.com/v/index.php

John Robinson (design for interactive)