Provider Portal for Applications

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The Provider Portal for Applications ( P4P for short ) is an Internet service that is operated jointly by Internet service providers and file sharing operators, such as BitTorrent , eDonkey2000 or Gnutella . This service is intended to better manage the increasing data volume due to the file sharing services.

initial situation

By sharing and exchanged there files with increasingly extensive multimedia -Inhalten the recorded Internet service provider (ISP) on their lines constantly increasing volume of data for sharing. Due to the automatic path finding defined in the Internet protocol , the data packets between the provider and the buyer in the exchange usually travel further than necessary. Often providers are chosen in file sharing sites who are not in the immediate vicinity (same ISP, geographical proximity), although such providers are available. The data volumes transferred place a load on the lines of the ISPs involved, although shorter routes would be possible if the provider selection is selected with regard to this optimization goal. This is where the P4P comes in to enable a more regional or even local connection, in which the ISPs actively intervene in the selection of providers.

technology

P4P is a voluntary and open standard. However, the implementation assumes that the participating ISPs disclose details about their own network structures to one another. Similar to the Metropolitan Area Networks on the IP level, regional file exchange nodes are supposed to bring users together directly.

For P4P, the (BitTorrent) tracker asks the P4P portal for more information. The tracker asks for this information about its clients without specifying the content to be exchanged (if this is possible with fixed ObjectIDs) or the role of provider or buyer. As a large number of inquiries are received at the same time, it is possible to draw conclusions about the P2P participants and the files exchanged, since the IP addresses of these are made known and associated with files.

So-called P-vectors - also P-data or iTracker - are made available. The tracker uses this information to determine the path to the source and target computers. The P vector can contain a time dependency, so that other routes or routes would have to be used at later times . The P-vectors are passed on to the P2P client in parallel to the previous P2P network information. The P2P client can thus start downloading either via the P4P portal or via the conventional way.

Under laboratory conditions, there were not only pleasantly shortened reaction times for the exchange participants, but also, in particular, considerable reduced utilization of the data volume - and thus cost savings compared to line volume expansions that would otherwise arise. For example, Verizon reported that in the test only half as much data volume had to be exchanged with other providers as with conventional P2P networks.

P4P working group

A group of Internet service providers, P2P program providers, network device manufacturers and IT research institutes was founded under the leadership of Pando Networks . The aim of the group is to develop, test and implement the P4P technology together. The P4P Working Group consists e.g. Currently from:

criticism

The P4P protocol does not in itself exclude the possibility of revealing the privacy of the P2P participants. This could be relevant if the anti- piracy lobbyists of the P4P group are considering making use of it.

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