Friend-to-friend

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Friend-to-friend - computer network (F2F network) is a special peer-to-peer -Netz in which one only with friends, d. H. with known, trustworthy users. The users are authenticated by means of passwords or digital signatures .

Many F2F networks also support indirect anonymous or pseudonymous communication between users who neither know nor trust each other. So z. For example, a node in an F2F overlay network can anonymously pass on data from one friend to the other so that neither of the two friends can find out the name or IP address of the other. Those friends can also forward the data to their own friends, etc.

In contrast to other private P2P networks, also known as darknets , users in an F2F network cannot find out who, apart from themselves and their direct friends, is participating in the network as a whole. This means that F2F networks can grow at will without restricting the anonymity of the users.

RetroShare , GNUnet , WASTE and Freenet are examples of software with which P2P networks can be implemented, whereby GNUnet and Freenet are not set to F2F operation by default.

The term “friend-to-friend” network was introduced in 2000 by Dan Bricklin .

advantages

  • F2F prevents unauthorized persons from accessing sensitive or controversial, released files and prevents others from being able to prove that the data was offered there.
  • Since F2F applications only encrypt the links to the transferred data, but not the data itself, any intermediate nodes can restrict which type of data is forwarded via them.
  • Since only known friends can contact a user, F2F is less susceptible to attacks by crackers who want to exploit security holes in the F2F software.

disadvantage

  • Compared to open P2P networks, it takes more effort to participate in the network. Software for open networks can usually be used almost immediately, F2F software must first be set up and the signatures of friends are required. Some networks, e.g. B. Freenet, therefore enable both open and private data traffic. In this way, a user can initially participate in the open network with little effort and later switch to the more secure F2F network.
  • The data is often not available around the clock, as it is only distributed through relatively few friends and these are often not always online.

software

  • Alliance (Open Source, Win / Lin / Mac)
  • Freenet (Open Source, Win / Lin / Mac, from version 0.7 optionally limited to F2F)
  • GNUnet (Open Source, Win / Linux / Mac, optionally limited to F2F)
  • GoldBug
  • LimeWire (Open Source, Win / Linux / Mac, from version 5.0)
  • Metanet
  • OneSwarm (Open Source, Win / Lin / Mac, based on BitTorrent )
  • RetroShare (Open Source, Win / Lin / Mac, restricted to F2F)
  • Turtle F2F (Open Source, Linux only)
  • WASTE , (Open Source, Win / Lin / Mac, optionally limited to F2F)

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Dan Bricklin: Friend-to-Friend Networks. August 11, 2000, accessed May 7, 2008 .