ABSTRACT
Since the inception of Napster in the late 1990s, the peer-to-peer (P2P) computing model has grown dramatically. In the literature, however, there is little consensus about its definition. An Intel P2P working group defines it as “the sharing of computer resources and services by direct exchange between systems.”84
Veytsel defines P2P as “the use of devices on the internet periphery in a nonclient capacity.”108 Shirky101
presents a more detailed definition as “a class of applications that takes advantage of resources-storage, cycles, content, human presence-available at the edges of the Internet. Because accessing these decentralized resources means operating in an environment of unstable connectivity and unpredictable IP addresses, P2P nodes must operate outside the DNS system and have significant or total autonomy from central servers.” The author summarizes two criteria to judge if a system is P2P or not: (1) Does it treat variable connectivity and temporary network addresses as the norm? and (2) Does it give the nodes at the edges of the network significant autonomy?
