what is peer-to-peer network?

Answer 1

People to People network!
Computer to Computer! sharing files and documents! Its like linking up!!

Answer 2

lets make this ez...

a network is a collection of more than 1 terminal (in which usually is a personal computer or a notebook). when u connect urself to the internet, u r actually squeezing into the massive network connecting terminals from every corner of the world. from your pc to your ISP (where u get your internet connection from) it usually is of client-server architecture. the ISP has a server providing services to u client. something like a tree with lotsa branches.

when u surf a website, u r requesting a frontpage from the target server, in which it will go thru lotsa servers and networks b4 reaching u through the protocol called HTTP (just as u can see from ur address bar that any website u surf will be of 'http://...').

when u have peer-to-peer (p2p), u r using other protocols like TCP or UDP. this usually is used when u need massive file transferring, just like the 'famous' torrent file sharing thing. u'll have a somewhat virtual direct connection between 2 peers (peer here means the terminal mentioned b4, which is ur pc, or ur notebook, or whatever that can be considered as a terminal). any file that u transfer betwwen these 2 peers will bypass all basic firewall, as both communicate through an agreed port. imagine this. u got ur house number and address, so do i. when i want to mail a package to u, the fed ex guy will identify ur location and pass the package to u, without going through local post office. once ur file transfer is done, the connection will be released.

Answer 3

trad networks are "client-server". One computer is the client (wants something) and another is the server (provides it). When you use Yahoo, your totsy wee computer is the client, and Yahoo's huge monster is the server. The Yahoo box figures out what pages you want to see based on your mouseyclickies and gives them to you.

Peer-to-peer means every computer in the network can both get things from other computers, and provide them to other computers, at the same time.

Some of the music download pinching stuff is peer-to-peer. The idea is that I stick my CD collection on my laptop and offer it to everyone over t'internet. Everyone else does the same thing with their CDs and laptops. So if I happen to want a copy of "Agadoo" by Black Lace I will be able to find it on your computer, while you will be downloading far too much Radiohead from mine. We're all equal, which is what "peer" means. Typically, you have no idea who's providing the track you're downloading, or who's downloading from yours, but so what.