P2P & the Internet
Generally, peer-to-peer (referred to as P2P) is a type of Internet network that allows a group of computer users with the same networking program to connect with each other and directly access files from one another's hard drives. P2P can also be used for streaming, grid computing, IP phone (Skype), and more...
In a client-server model, the capacity of the server is the bottleneck and has to be sized in such a way that all requests can be accommodated at any given time. In contrast, a P2P system distributes content in the network among sharing peers rather than place the entire load on a single server. Although servers are scalable, there is a limit to what they can do. P2P networks are almost unlimited in their scalability.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks have been receiving increasing demand from users on the Internet and are now accepted as a standard way of distributing information, because its architecture enables scalability, efficiency and performance.
The only requirements for a computer to join a peer-to-peer network are an Internet connection and P2P software. Common P2P software programs include Limewire, Bittorrent or eMule. These programs connect to a P2P network, which allows the computer to access thousands of other systems on the network. Once connected to the network, P2P software allows you to search for files on other people's computers.
The only barrier to the growth of peer-to-peer services is the lack of broadband Internet services in many countries, and the fact that most of the Internet services available to consumers are asymmetric – which restricts the ability to send data at high speed.