Peer To Peer Networks
At it’s most basic, a peer to peer network (P2P) is established whenever more than one PCs are linked and share information without running through an independent server computer. A P2P network can be any connection with a multiple computers linked through a Universal Serial Bus to exchange files. A P2P network additionally can be a permanent system which ties a many computers in a small workplace over copper wires. Or a P2P network can be a network on a significantly grander scope where specific protocols and programs setup direct connections between users online.
The first use of peer to peer networks in businesses would follow the PC boom of the 1980′s. Compared to the mini-mainframes at the time, for instance the VS system of Wang Laboratories Inc., that provided word processing as well as other programs to dumb terminals from a core computer and saved data on a main hard drive, the new PC’s at that time used self-contained hard drives as well as built-in CPUs. The computers even had onboard applications, that would mean they could be used on desktops and stay functional without a cable connecting them to a mainframe.
Countless people felt liberated by using dedicated PCs at their desks. However quickly they wanted a way to exchange documents and printers. The clear answer was to save data to floppy disks and take the disks to the desired recipient or deliver it by interoffice mail.
Sneaker Nets
That technique lead to the term “sneaker net.” The most common endpoint of a average sneaker net was the staff member that had a printer linked to his computer.
Although sneaker nets came across as a strange blend of the latest technology and the earliest form of transportation, the model is truly the foundation for present day small P2P workgroups.
While earlier centralized computing units and today’s client/server programs are frequently regarded as controlled settings where people benefit from their PCs in ways established by a higher authority, a traditional P2P workgroup network is all about freely sharing data and devices.
Generally, workplace and home peer to peer networks function over Ethernet (10M bit/sec.) or Fast Ethernet (100M bit/sec.) and use a hub-and-spoke topology. Cat 5 (twisted-pair) copper cable connects the PCs and an Ethernet hub or switch, allowing users of these networked PCs accessibility to each others printers, hard drives or maybe a common Internet connection.
Both Client and Server
Essentially, all connected PC’s are at once a server and a client. There is no specialized network operating system located on a powerful machine which facilitates special server-side programs like directory services (specialized databases which handle who has accessibility to what).
In a P2P setting, accessibility rights are dictated by establishing sharing authorizations on specific machines.
For instance, if User A’s PC is linked to a printer that User B needs to access, User A must setup his computer to permit access to the printer. Furthermore, if User B needs to have access to a folder or file, or sometimes an entire hard drive, on User A’s PC, User A will have to allow file sharing on his PC. Accessibility to folders and printers on an office P2P network may be further managed by setting passwords to those assets.