Peer to Peer Overview

Peer to Peer, also known as P2P, is a communications method allowing direct exchange of information between two computers. In the Internet age, P2P specifically refers to software programs that allow two computers to connect using the Internet and to exchange files. The most popular of these types of programs is Kazaa, and the most frequently exchanged type of file is music.

Other types of files that can be exchanged include music, movies, pictures, software, and documents. The P2P programs allow a person to search thousands of computers for the particular file they are looking for and to download it free of charge. In addition, files on your computer can be made available for any other person on the Internet to access and download.

Issues to be concerned with when P2P programs are used on computers include:

• Access to pornographic pictures, video, and movies by children

• Downloading of copyrighted music, songs, graphics, movies, and software, which is illegal and can lead to fines

• The use of computer resources to archive and exchange very large files can be costly

• The security risk or potential to have any file on your computer shared with other unknown users on the Internet

P2P Programs can be categorized into two types:

• Kazaa, which is proprietary and only allows exchange of files between other computers using Kazaa.

• Programs that use a standard protocol for exchanging information called Gnutella. Gnutella programs include Morpheus, Gnucleus, LimeWire, Phex, Swapper, and XoloX

Spector Client (Client) will capture and record the search and file download activity from the most popular P2P programs, which provides the ability to monitor a computer's use in exchanging files.

P2P Programs Supported

• Kazaa

• Kazaa Lite

• Morpheus

• Gnucleus

• LimeWire

• Phex

• Swapper

• XoloX

P2P Programs NOT Supported

• BearShare

Related Topics:

Peer to Peer Recording

Peer to Peer Settings

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