Why Peer-To-Peer?

[Guest]

Hello.

I've read some of the info on MS's web site about peer-to-peer networking,
but still don't understand the benefit. What can PTP do for a home user who
already uses Live Messenger and File/Print sharing to communicate & share
with others?

Thanks - Dave

 

[AJR]

If you are sharing files/printer between two or more computers you have a
peer-to-peer network (direct computer to computer - all equal). Network not
based use of a server.

 

[Guest]

AJR,

Conceptually - true. However my question is regarding the peer-to-peer
networking capabilities included in Windows but not installed as part of the
default installation.

Check this out... http://www.microsoft.com/technet/network/p2p/p2pintro.mspx

Thanks - Dave

 

[Jack \(MVP-Networking\).]

First, you have to separate two concepts, Internet, and private Local
Network (LAN).
Peer-to-peer relates to Local private Network (nothing to do with the
Internet).
The simplest way of connecting few computers to form a Local Network is to
connect them in what is called peer-to-peer topology. In practical terms,
it means few computers plugged through a Network Card to a Network Switch
(Hub).
The private Network can be connected as a Network to the Internet via
Router.
The Stand alone Router that is used by many Home users is a 4 ports switch,
which forms a peer to peer Network between the computers that are connected
to it, and Routing circuits that mitigate between the Switch and the
Internet.
The default installation of Windows XP on a single computer makes it ready
to be part of a peer-to-peer Network.
Jack (MVP-Networking).

 

[Guest]

Jack,

We may be talking about two different things. Below is a quote from the MS
article (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/network/p2p/p2pintro.mspx) on
peer-to-peer networking:

Name Resolution and Peer Discovery with PNRP:

In order for communication to occur between peers, they must be able to
discover each other's presence and resolve each other's network locations
(addresses, protocols, and ports) from names or other types of
identifiers. How
peers discover each other and resolve each other's names for
communication is
complicated by transient connectivity and the lack of address records in
DNS.

Windows Peer-to-Peer Networking solves this problem with a name
resolution
and peer discovery protocol known as the Peer Name Resolution Protocol
(PNRP). For more information, see Peer Name Resolution Protocol.

The default installation of Windows on my PC did not include Peer Name
Resolution Protocol (PNRP) for peer-to-peer networking. PNRP appears to go
far beyond NetBIOS communications on a local network as you described below.

So my question is, what can PTP/PNRP do for a home user who already uses
Live Messenger and File/Print sharing to communicate & share with others?

Thanks - Dave

 

[Chuck]

Jack,

We may be talking about two different things. Below is a quote from the MS
article (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/network/p2p/p2pintro.mspx) on
peer-to-peer networking:

Name Resolution and Peer Discovery with PNRP:

In order for communication to occur between peers, they must be able to
discover each other's presence and resolve each other's network locations
(addresses, protocols, and ports) from names or other types of
identifiers. How
peers discover each other and resolve each other's names for
communication is
complicated by transient connectivity and the lack of address records in
DNS.

Windows Peer-to-Peer Networking solves this problem with a name
resolution
and peer discovery protocol known as the Peer Name Resolution Protocol
(PNRP). For more information, see Peer Name Resolution Protocol.

The default installation of Windows on my PC did not include Peer Name
Resolution Protocol (PNRP) for peer-to-peer networking. PNRP appears to go
far beyond NetBIOS communications on a local network as you described below.

So my question is, what can PTP/PNRP do for a home user who already uses
Live Messenger and File/Print sharing to communicate & share with others?

Thanks - Dave

Dave,

What Microsoft is doing with this concept of Peer-Peer Networking is taking
currently used applications like Instant Messaging, File Sharing, Whiteboard,
distributed processing, P2P file sharing like BitTorrent, etc, and restructuring
them so they can all fit into one common package. What this will mean to you,
as a user of the individual components, currently provided by them and by their
competitors, is up to the marketplace to decide.

If Microsoft has a big enough piece of the many applications, right now, in its
MSN / Windows Messenger and associated components (for instance), they can
expand those pieces using the (proprietary) PTP / PNRP concept, force
competitors to comply with their new standards, and eventually absorb the
competitors in their infrastructure.

If Microsoft's competitors are still powerful, Microsoft will have to let PTP /
PNRP evolve, as the Internet evolves. The final (real world) version of PTP /
PNRP may have other components, other protocols, and probably another name.

This is an exciting idea, but there may be ethical, moral, and political issues
to consider, and probably endless hours of discussion.

In the long term, what you, and millions like you, choose over the years will
determine the outcome. I don't think that you need to consider PTP / PNRP as you
setup your current IM client, immediately.

 

[Guest]

Chuck,

Thank you for taking time to share those insights.

Dave

 

[Chuck]

Chuck,

Thank you for taking time to share those insights.

Dave

Thank you for sharing the question, and the article, Dave.

Regardless of what finally happens, in the next 5 - 10 years, Microsoft is the
big ape in the jungle. Even if their product goes no farther than the document,
it will still influence what happens.

It's a good read too.