From: Adam Rifkin (Adam@KnowNow.Com)
Date: Wed Oct 11 2000 - 01:04:10 PDT
p2p backlash is giving me whiplash. The agenda for the Intel lovefest on
Thursday is surprisingly underwhelmming:
http://www.peer-to-peerwg.org/meetings/00-10-12/index.html
We knew p2p was too good to last, that's why someone had to invent the
concept of "super peers"... :) Who's got a pocket full of kryptonite?
http://dss.clip2.com/reflector.htm
Introduction
From millions of measurements of the public Gnutella network taken by
Clip2 DSS over a period of months, we have become intimately familiar with
the technical issues facing Gnutella networks. Our reports on these issues
have been read by tens of thousands and generated considerable discussion.
We are now proud to announce the availability of the Clip2 Reflector, a
pivotal application that can simultaneously address some of the problems on
which we have reported and expand the possible uses of Gnutella.
The Reflector is a super peer, the first of an entirely new species of
Gnutella application. The Reflector can shield a network against
unnecessary traffic from the public Gnutella network, bringing relief to
network administrators frustrated by the bandwidth costs of allowing their
users to run Gnutella. Using the Reflector as a cornerstone, anyone can set
up an efficient filesharing system in minutes, either isolated or connected
to the public Gnutella network. Public-access Reflectors connected to the
public Gnutella network can simultaneously provide a better user experience
for users on slower connections and improve overall network performance.
Technically, the Reflector enables a brokered peer-to-peer model
for Gnutella while co-existing with Gnutella's pure peer-to-peer
structure. Best of all, it is fully compatible with the majority of the
installed base of end-user Gnutella software.
What is it?
The Reflector is both a Gnutella proxy server and a Gnutella index server.
It is neither a Gnutella search client nor a Gnutella file server, and it
does not replace existing "servent" software that performs these functions.
Rather, it works in concert with such programs to bring improved
functionality and performance to a Gnutella network. Version 1.0 Beta of
the Reflector is a free, downloadable application intended to be run by
network administrators and filesharing system operators, not end users
attempting to find or share files. An end user takes advantage of the
Reflector by connecting to one using standard Gnutella servent software.
Among its uses and benefits:
· For network administrators: Gnutella servents running on your
network can quickly tax its bandwidth when they open multiple connections
to the public Gnutella network. By running the Reflector and having your
users connect to the public network through it as a proxy server, you can
significantly reduce bandwidth consumption and control external connectivity.
· For filesharing system operators: The Reflector can serve as the
hub of a filesharing community. When end users connect to the Reflector
using Gnutella servent software, the Reflector indexes the files they are
sharing. When these users perform searches, the Reflector functions as an
index server, running the queries against its master index and returning
results faster than if the query were to pass from servent to servent.
· For end users: Connecting to the public Gnutella network by
connecting your servent to a public-access Reflector will conserve your
bandwidth. The Reflector will index any files you are sharing and handle
queries from the public network on your behalf until you disconnect, at
which point it purges your entries in its index. The Reflector also shields
your servent from other forms of network traffic.
· For the Gnutella community: If end users on slower connections,
particularly dial-up modems, connect to public-access Reflectors that
operate on higher-speed connections, overall performance of the Gnutella
network will improve.
The Reflector is a Java application designed to function on any platform
for which Sun's Java 2 Runtime Environment (JRE), Standard Edition, Version
1.3.0 (or an equivalent Java virtual machine) is available. Sun's JRE is
currently available for multiple versions of Windows, Solaris, and Linux.
The Reflector is compatible with software that communicates using version
0.4 of the Gnutella protocol, including most current Gnutella applications.
---- Adam@KnowNow.ComBe bold, the mighty forces will come to your aid. -- Goethe
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