Peer-to-Peer Networks: An In-depth Study
Anandha Gopalan
Abstract:
Peer-to-Peer computing has caught on in the last few years, thanks in part to
the emergence of various file sharing programs. Although, peer-to-peer
networking is not a new concept, interest has been rekindled in this field.
This has lead to a plethora of ideas for solving the various issues with
peer-to-peer networks and also to try and find out how to effectively utilize
this infrastructure.
This survey investigates the field of peer-to-peer networking and summarizes
the key concepts and ideas. An overview is provided for many of the new
technologies and projects in this area. This paper will be helpful in making
people understand this growing technology. This paper is targeted to
both the novice reader who is not very familiar with the topic (this will
help him/her understand the basic concepts and get familiar with peer-to-peer
networking) and also for the reader who is well versed in this topic (the
different models are described in sufficient detail, thus helping the
reader grasp the breadth of ideas).