Hi. It's good to see Windows is finally catching up with Unix of 20
years ago.
Guess I need to remember this message the next time I jump on Windows
users who claim their OS is better than Linux
Kenny
On Fri, Feb 06, 2004 at 08:18:31PM -0800, The Man With His Guide Dog At The Tent Store wrote:
> I know the following is talking about Windows, however, I can see us
> technical persons dealing with the following.
>
> PEER-TO-PEER NETWORKING WITH WINDOWS XP
>
> "As with most things in life, as time rolls on, old computer
> definitions take on new meanings. It used to be that a PTP
> (peer-to-peer) network descried a collection of desktop computers that
> simply shared resources with each other, such as printers and hard
> drives. Back then, there wasn't a centralized, dedicated server. Each
> peer was at once server and workstation, connected in a loose-knit
> fashion. The inclusion of native peer networking in Windows95 was one
> of the reasons networking in general became so popular."
>
> MORE THAN SHARING MUSIC
> "Microsoft's new incarnation of P2P networking expands the day-to-day
> role of shared printers and hard drives to also include a client's
> CPU, RAM, local system resources. The new platform is only available
> with Windows XP, but it provides you with the tools necessary to
> develop next-generation peer applications. Instead of client PC's
> simply simply processing their own data set, next-generation P2P
> networks share the processing power among peer members and take
> advantage of the massive underutilization of hard disks, RAM, and idle
> clock cycles on their client PC's..
>
> P2P networking makes use of this idle hardware by breaking an
> application or data into chunks and distributing it among these peer
> computers. In sharing the workload, it makes the network client PC's
> act as a massive parallel computer, allowing large amounts of data or
> processing time to take place without a sever hardware upgrade.
> Although not a Microsoft-coded application, an example of a P2P
> application is the SETI@home project (setiathome.ssl.Berkeley.edu).
> SETI@home distributes radio telescope data to end users where it is
> analyzed and transmitted back to the host.
>
> Like a traditional peer network, a P2P network differs from a
> client-server network because there is no centralized server. An
> example of a common client-server network is the Internet. When you
> surf the Internet, your PC's browser (client) requests data (the Web
> page) from a server. The data is then returned, processed, and
> displayed on your PC. Think of it as a "many-to-one" relationship.
> Many clients to one server.
>
> In a P2P network each computer in the peer group is connected to at
> least two other PC's in the group. And because each PC also acts as a
> server, you break away from the client-server method. This creates a
> "many-to-many" relationship, which is the heart of a P2P network."
>
> WHY P2P?
>
> "There are a number of reasons why the P2P networking concept is
> taking off. One is you already have an investment in hardware (your
> desktop computer), and you can maximize their return on investment by
> keeping their CPUs busy all of the time.
>
> Another reason is you can scale a network of peer computers easily
> with additional hardware. If your P2P application needs additional
> processing power, simply add another desktop (or 100) to the peer
> group. Also a group of peers is inherently more reliable than a single
> server. If a PC in the peer group fails, other PC's can still share
> data because of how interconnected
> A P2P network is. On the other hand, a single PC, such as a file or
> Web server, is a single point of failure than can bring the entire
> group down."
>
> WHAT THEY CAN AND CAN'T DO
> "Before you rush out and start setting up your own P2P network, you
> should understand what it is intended for and what it requires. You
> cannot take any old application and make it run in a P2P scenario. In
> order to take advantage of this new technology, applications will need
> to be written for it, which specifically use the Microsoft Windows XP
> Peer-to-Peer Software Development Kit (free:
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/ptp
>
> REAL TIME COMMUNICATION
> "Not only can P2P network open up new computing possibilities, but it
> can also make existing applications better. For example, IM (instant
> messaging) is one of the most widely used Internet applications. No
> matter who is providing the service, it requires a centralized server
> to bring it all together. If IM was written using P2P networking, you
> would communicate directly with your chat partner and not rely on some
> other server to provide the connection. Online gaming is another
> application that can get a usability and performance upgrade and
> performance upgrade via P2P. Similar to IM, you can link up with other
> gamers directly, cutting out the middleman (server)."
>
> TWO HEADS (OR FIFTY) ARE BETTER THAN ONE
>
> "Online collaboration is another example of how P2P networks can make
> an existing technology even better. Using P2P software, you can share
> project workspaces and share files directly with other team members,
> bypassing the need for a special collaboration server. For example,
> Corel's Grafigo2 is a commercially available, pen-based business
> application written for Microsoft Windows XP Table PC Edition, which
> utilizes P2P collaboration. With Grafigo, you can create, annotate and
> work together across your P2P network, which ostensibly enhances
> productivity and user experience."
>
> EFFICIENT DISTRIBUTION
>
> "P2P networks are an efficient way to distribute many different types
> of content to group members. The content can be exciting multi-media,
> such as a live streaming concert event, or something as mundane as a
> software update. Because the application running on each group member
> PC has intelligence built-in (and it knows who its local peers are),
> it can help distribute the load and reduce the need for
> stacked-and-packed centralized servers. In an audio broadcast, for
> example, each peer member can share a little portion of the file with
> other members, thereby greatly decreasing the overall amount of
> network bandwidth needed from the source."
>
> REQUIREMENTS FOR A P2P NETWORK
>
> "A base requirement for P2P networking is the installation and use of
> an updated version of IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6)
> Available from Microsoft Advanced Networking Pack for Windows XP:
>
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/p2p
>
> IPv6 has significant technical advantages over IPv4 (the most widely
> used version of TCP/IP (transmission control protocol/Internet
> protocol), including a larger IP address space.
>
> IPv4 has a 32-bit address space where IPv6 has a 128-bit address
> space. (This works out to roughly a theoretical maximum number of IPv6
> addresses of 340 trillion, trillion, trillion hosts). IPv6 also has
> the advantage of a much better QOS (quality of service), which is the
> ability to make sure network traffic gets a specific amount of
> bandwidth.
>
> To ease this expected migration to IPv6, Microsoft is providing
> Teredo, and IPv6 transition technology. Teredo allows Ipvy traffic to
> work across a router or firewall that uses NAT (network address
> translation). In a nutshell, Tgeredo encapsulates IPv6 packets inside
> a UDP (user datagram protocol) IPv4 packet and tunnels it between
> sites. When the packet makes it to the other side, the iPv6 packets
> are recovered and continue on their way. Microsoft sees Teredo as a
> short-term technology and expects it to be used less as a more native
> IPv6 network equipment makes it into the marketplace."
>
> P2P networking uses a new kind of host name lookup process called PNRP
> (peer name resolution protocol). Because it is based on IPv6, a normal
> IPv4 DNS (domain name system) does not work. PNRP does not need a
> central, root name server; Each client in the group has a partial list
> of other group members in its PNRP cache. If a member PC needs to
> locate another member, and it does not already have the address, it
> makes an inquiry to the group member closest to the desired member's
> address. That PC then either provides the correct address or checks
> with one of its neighbors. It continues the process until the member
> is located. All member addresses are numerical to eliminate any
> language or alphabet issues and to prevent domain "squatting."
>
> SETTING UP A P2P NETWORK
>
> "Putting together a P2P network is a bit like living in the Old West.
> It's a new frontier, and there are not a lot of tools to help you out.
> Before you can even begin to distribute your P2P application, you have
> to get IPv6 installed and working. First, you must configure normal
> IPv4 on your system and then install the Advanced Network pack for
> Windows XP. For the most part IVv6 does not need any real
> configuration. (As of this writing, there is no graphical interface to
> allow you to make changes or view information about your IPv6
> network.)
> One hardware configuration you must attend to is your firewall.
> In order for your P2P application to leave the confines of your
> Network, you must open up UDP port 3544 on your firewall.
> (Check your firewall's service settings for directions on how to
> Open this port.) This open port lets Teredo communicate
> Through the firewall and pass through the NAT. At this point, you
> Can begin connecting to shared resources across your network
> Using either Windows Explorer or Net Use commands. For the most
> Part, you will not see anything different from a network standpoint.
> If you want to dig in and check out specific IPv6 information, use
> The Netsh.exe tool. (For more information about using the Netsh
> Command prompt, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 242468.)
> Deploying your P2P application depends on how the program was
> Written. If the application requires any special authorization or
> ports,
> You need to make the appropriate settings and changes. With the
> New P2P SDK (software developers kit), you are free to invent and
> Enhance applications to meet your needs."
>
> P2P NETWORK SECURITY
>
> "Because a P2P network does not have a centralized server, there
> Is no single point for handling user authentication and authorization.
> For example, in a Windows2000 Server/Server2003 network scenario,
> Active directory provides the authentication services for the entire
> Domain. In a P2P network, however, each peer must provide its own
> Authentication. To handle security between modes, each member
> Creates self-signed digital certificates, some of which are formatted
> As X509 certificates. P2P networks let any peer act as a certificate
> Authority, allowing it to create and accept digital certificates. A
> peer
> Client creates the public and or private key pair and uses the private
> Key to sign the digital certificate. When a peer node receives the
> self-
> Signed certificate and the key pairs, it verifies the certificate's
> auth-
> enticity using its private and public keys, and, based on the key's
> Validity, creates a connection. It would seem like this use of self-
> Signed certificates is kind of like letting the Inmates run the
> asylum.
> Not true. P2P networking relies on an established chain of
> certificates
> Leading back to a public key that is known and trusted. By creating
> A chain back to a known, trusted source, it validates all other
> Certificates on down the line."
>
> FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS
>
> "Don't expect to see a rash of new P2P network-enabled applications
> On the shelves of your local computer store anytime soon. The
> Concept is not new, but he implementation is, and as of now Microsoft
> Is blazing a trail on it's own. There will be some good head-to-head
> Competition among Microsoft and the other companies working on
> P2P improvements, but if history is any guide Microsoft will play by
> Its own rules and try to convince (or force) everyone to do it its
> way.
> The stumbling blocks to this are the need for IPv6 and its current
> Limited availability to Windows XP based desktops. You can expect to
> See this situation change in the coming months as more and more
> Developers show an interest. With the added attention, Microsoft
> Should start releasing updated Ipv6 protocol stacks for other versions
> Of Windows. Unless Microsoft can get someone to port its IPv6 stack
> To another operating system, like Linux, Web application developers
> May be slow to get onboard." (end extract.)
> Source--PC Today Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 2, February, 2004.
>
>
> Angus MacKinnon Crest Saying
> Latin - Audentes Fortuna Juvat
> English - Fortune Assists The Daring
> Web Page: http://members.shaw.ca/dabneyadfm
> Choroideremia Research Foundation Inc.
> http://www.choroideremia.org
>
>
>
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.580 / Virus Database: 367 - Release Date: 06/02/2004
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx
> https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list
_______________________________________________
Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx
https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list