P2P: Changing the potential of Internet infrastructure

Introduction: P2P (peer-to-peer) is a technology, but it is more of an idea that has the potential to change the entire Internet base.

On the eve of the mobile value-added business era, P2P and grid technologies, POC, and ad. like other technologies such as hoc, it seems that investors are full of hope, and the plum blossom in the word of Su Shi is hard to see.

 

Why is P2P so fascinating to it giants such as Intel, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and at&t, and even some well-known young companies are scrambling to find the path to P2P? What makes other investors eager to gain wealth hold back?

P2P Overview

P2P is the abbreviation of peer-to-peer. Peer has the meanings of "peer-to-peer", "peer", and "peer" in English. P2P can also be understood as "peer-to-peer" or "Peer-to-Peer Networking ". Put simply, P2P allows people to directly interact through the Internet. In this way, P2P means that people can directly connect to other users' computers and exchange files, instead of connecting to the server to browse and download files as they used; it changes the current state of the Internet with a large website as the center, returns to "non-central", and returns power to users.

P2P seems quite new, but just as B2C and B2B are porting things that are common in the real world to the Internet, P2P is nothing new. In real life, we face-to-face communication and communication through the P2P mode every day. In fact, many existing services on the network can be classified as P2P. Instant messaging systems such as ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, tomskype, Yahoo Pager, Microsoft MSN Messenger, and OICQ in China are the most popular P2P applications. They allow users to communicate with each other and exchange information and files.

Another type that can be classified as P2P is an auction website. For example, eBay uses C2C when summing up its model. eBay is a community that contacts people and deals with items. Users can easily search for products sold by other users, transactions are directly performed between users. If we promote the concept of "transaction", C2C is a special case of P2P. Here, people exchange goods with each other.

When people join the P2P network, everyone has an equal opportunity to create "content" on the network. In this regard, the impact of P2P can be revealed in three sentences: P2P is the end of the read-only network; P2P allows you to participate in the Internet again; P2P keeps the network away from TV. From some perspectives, P2P is even the most basic idea of creating the Internet at the beginning.

According to this idea, in the P2P network of the military, every computer can operate independently. This means there are countless centers, and the other party will be damaged by one of the bases or computers unless the earth is actually blown up, it does not affect other bases or computers. It is precisely this "non-central" idea that has become the most basic concept of the Internet.

However, there are still a few people who create or provide content on the P2P network. After the emergence of many technologies, they often do not fully develop according to the original design. Browsing has become the most important way for people to survive on the Internet. Ordinary Internet users seem to be gradually degrading and passively browsing the content created by large websites like TV viewers. The main activities on the Internet are to visit portals, read news, participate in discussion groups, and chat. A feature of the Internet is disappearing.

Potential 1: marginalized content

One change brought about by P2P is that it changes the location of "content", and the content is moving from "center" to "edge". That is to say, the content will not mainly exist on several major servers, it exists on the PCs of all users.

In this case, P2P has brought about several changes: Customers no longer need to upload files to the server, but only need to use P2P to share information; personal computers running P2P do not require a fixed IP address or a permanent internet connection, which allows users who access the Internet through dialing to enjoy the revolution brought about by P2P; p2P completely changes the Client/Server mode that used to control the Internet, eliminating the difference between the client and the server.

Currently, mobile service protocols such as WAP allow people to use central commercial services such as news and stock information. But more often, people need the most information on their personal computers. P2P makes this possible. People can access their personal computers through wireless Internet P2P, which is the "wireless version" of personal P2P promoted by some companies ".

Potential 2: communication regardless of Terminal

Many people think that P2P is Song exchange, file exchange, and even think that P2P has an inevitable connection with piracy. In fact, people do not fully understand P2P. It has one of the most exciting features.

For P2P applications such as instant messaging, the purpose of others' connection is to communicate with another peer, instead of using a PC or mobile phone. P2P provides the ability to communicate in real time regardless of devices on the network. Finding and contacting people in real time is the basic requirement of commercial applications. Phone calls can do this, but the most common e-mail on the Internet cannot. This will make users' real-time connection capabilities the most exciting feature of P2P. OICQ in China is welcome to recognize this fact.

Potential 3: people are the core of attention

In imagination, P2P's "P" is people ). This may be one of the most profound interpretations of P2P.

In fact, our real life is a P2P environment where people can communicate directly with others. Information technology has brought us to the network space. In the network space, we still hope to communicate in the original P2P mode. From the perspective of "people", the development of P2P is not about the P2P network architecture, but about connecting people on the network, people can solve communication problems on the Internet, a more fast medium.

Its applications include: (1) Using accumulated capabilities to execute supercomputer tasks. (2) provides easy and convenient collaboration tools for employees and customers. (3) The search engine allows users to achieve unparalleled depth of traditional directory-based search engines without using Web servers. (4) Direct file exchange between persons is not performed through the server "center. In addition, it is considered that there are at least 100 kinds of applications waiting for development. Unlike B2C, B2B, C2C, and C2B, P2P is a revolution in technology and even technology. In combination, for investors, the temptation of P2P lies in its zero-cost and viral transmission.

Tracking "P2P"

Although P2P is a new thing, despite the lack of profit-making confidence in P2P, many people worry that P2P will continue to follow various business models such as B2C and C2C. However, many international companies have begun to embark on the P2P path. Intel has always been a fan of P2P technology. In the past decade, Intel's chip developers have made full use of the idle hard disk space and computing power of 10 thousand PCs distributed on workstations around the world, this saves a lot of cost for purchasing high-end computers. It is said that the use of P2P computing technology has saved the company more than $0.5 billion. Members of Intel's P2P Working Group include IBM, HP, and other companies. It giants who have not joined the Intel P2P camp have also begun P2P attempts. At&t developed a network printing system called Publius, which allows anonymous users to store Encrypted documents on P2P networks. Compared with it giants, some well-known young companies are also trying to figure out the latest ideas and persistently explore the profitable path of P2P.

Although P2P is a treasure of hope for profit, why are most international investors eager to get rich still reluctant to face the temptation of P2P?

First, the profit model is still in an unverifiable process; second, P2P itself also has many difficulties to overcome. Currently, we are exploring a profit model that combines P2P with other business models (such as B2B and Asp) or network technologies (such as search engine technologies. P2P also needs to overcome problems such as copyright issues, management difficulties, spam information, swallowed up network bandwidth, viruses, and standard contention.

P2P is not inherently calcium deficient. As a new technology, it also requires a development process. I believe it will eventually become mature.