Transcript Peer to Peer

Peer to Peer
David Strom, [email protected]
PC Expo/ eBiz presentations
June 2001
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Summary
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What is P2P?
Learning from Napster, Groove
Business models
Motivations for using P2P
Technology examples
Corporate strategies
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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What is P2P?
• Sharing computing resources, such as files,
CPU cycles, and applications
• Apps are both server and client on a
distributed network
• Makes some use of Internet
protocols/standards
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Examples of P2P technologies
• Simplest example is Windows/Mac built-in
file sharing: remember WfW?
• Napster/Gnutella/Aimster/etc.
• Chat products like ICQ, AIM, Bantu,
OMNI, etc.
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Other examples
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Seti@Home (search for ET)
Globus.org (distributed science)
McAfee ASAP (anti-virus protection)
Lightshare (desktop auctions)
Groove Networks (P2P Notes)
Uroam (remote access)
Roku, VxPort (file sharing)
OpenCola (info collection)
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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How does P2P leverage the
existing Internet infrastructure?
• Builds on ftp, http, etc. so can pass information
freely through routers and firewalls
• Doesn’t require new domain name services or
other authentication processes
• May make use of email and chat protocols as well
• No specialized knowledge to setup new servers
and services
• No network administrators and other IT resources
involved
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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What is Napster?
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Easy to share digital music files
Uses http and ftp protocols
Each user's PC acts as client and server
It creates a community of users with
common goals and interests
• It builds upon P2P services to increase the
overall value of the system
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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How did we obtain music before?
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Go to record store
Deal with surly underaged clerks
Try to find the right CD
Take it home, play on our stereos
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Enter MP3 downloads
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Locate an ftp server with music on it
Try to connect to the server (often busy)
Upload a few songs first
Then hopefully find the right song and
download it
• And much more work to host your own
music ftp server!
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Problems with the old method
• ftp sites often busy
• Had to learn the ins and outs of ftp client
software
• Uploading requirement was onerous
• Search tools crude, could often only find ftp
sites, not songs
• Setting up servers painful too.
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Shirky’s list of lessons learned
from Napster
• Centralize what you need to make your
business model work
• A poor user interface isn’t an issue,
especially if people can still get things done
• It routes around network admins/firewalls
• It allows people to create their own
namespaces without specialized knowledge
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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How do you share info now?
• Mydocsonline or similar “Internet hard
disk”
• PGP secure email, maybe
• Yahoo Calendars or similar
• WebAddressBook.com
• Maybe even a web-based Office suite like
TeamOn, FreeDesk or Blox
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Problems
• Motley collection difficult to manage
• Not everyone is willing to work with
multiple tools
• Authentication is difficult – multiple logins
• Still need to download lots of software,
despite “100 % browser” emphasis
• Tiresome email exchanges of documents
• Security by obscurity
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Enter Groove Networks
• Authentication is always on
• Different workspaces for different collections
of people
• Setup is easy
• No browser, email file swapping needed
• Supports a wide variety of tools and
information sharing models
• Great for sharing files between home and work
PCs
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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How distributed does your
network have to be?
• Napster: central server to authenticate and
track users
• Gnutella: everything is distributed
• Aimster: uses AOL IM directory to
authenticate/track users
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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What business models make
sense?
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Advertising
User charges
Corporate site licenses
Core technology licenses
ISP/ASP volume purchases
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Dale Dougherty’s thoughts on
business models
“All the P2P players are hoping that their
research leads them to establish a new way
of doing things. At that point, the winner
will be obvious and the business model will
be crystal clear.”
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Signs that P2p is maturing
• Porn industry file swapping services
(PornDigger, PORN.com)
• Already seeing downside articles in the
press
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Motivations for implementing
P2P
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Add intelligence to network edge devices
Convenience and control
Altruism
Free up bandwidth
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Motivations: the network edge
• Right now network edge devices are
underused or dumb when it comes to
working with the network fabric itself
• P2P adds intelligence, increased utilization
at the edge
• Makes it easier for people to get more work
done, just like c. 1981 PCs
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Controlling your own network
destiny
• Ask your IT department for the capability to
have real-time conversations with Internet
users directly from your PC, that you
wanted this set up within the hour, and that
you had no budget for it.
• Now imagine being laughed out of the
room. (from Shirky)
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Advantages of ICQ
• No need for setting up IP addresses, DNS
configuration, firewall rules, web server
hosting co-location agreements, IT policy
pronouncements, lengthy approvals up the
IT command structure, IT R&D review, IT
rollouts, …
• Do you detect a pattern here?
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Motivations: convenience and
control
• Stress-testing web sites over the Internet,
from Exodus/United Devices
• Shared-processing model frees up resources
in their test lab for other projects, also
provides more realism for test scenarios
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Motivations: altruism
“My goal was to harness wasted CPU cycles
that to me were just warming the air. I also
liked the fact that I would be participating
in an interesting community and doing
some good science." -- SETI user
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Motivations: bandwidth
• McAfee ASAP uses P2P to download virus
pattern files from local users, saving on
wide-area connections
• The more you distribute the network, the
less bandwidth you need from any
centralized locations
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Drawbacks to P2P
• Security loopholes
• Loss of control over desktop activities
• Some companies don’t like to share and
play with others
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Corporate strategies
• Download and try Napster or uRoam
• Compare with downloading music or
PC/Anywhere for functionality
• Examine your own programs for file transfer
components that could benefit from peering
• Examine whether you can benefit from shared
processing models
• Setup a trial Groove workgroup and project team
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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Places for more information
• O’Reilly P2P conference:
www.openP2P.com/pub/a/P2P/conference/
• My review of Groove:
strom.com/pubwork/varbiz.html
(c) David Strom Inc. 2001
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