Skills: finding and downloading files with Bit TorrentConcepts: client-server, peer-to-peer, copyright, Creative Commons

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Bit Torrent, a peer-to-peer application

Where does this topic fit?

• Internet concepts– Applications– Technology– Implications

• Internet skills– Application development– Content creation– User skills

Client Server

request

Service

Client-server architecture

Client &

server

Client&

server

request

Service

Peer-to-peer architecture

Search for a “torrent” file

A torrent

Downloading a file

Progress detail

Client and server

Download complete, serving both files

Two views of Bit Torrent

Summary

Client &

server

Client&

server

request

Service

Self-study questions

1. Is email a client server application? Explain your answer.2. Is email a peer-to-peer application? Explain your answer.3. If a company had to distribute copies of a 509 megabyte file to each

of 1,000 branch offices, would they be better off using Bit Torrent or FTP? Explain your answer.

4. Do a Web search to determine the approximate amount of Bit Torrent traffic per day on the Internet. What is your source? Do they consider Bit Torrent significant?

5. Will Bit Torrent become more or less important in the future? Explain your answer.

6. Find a pirated copy of Elvis Presley singing Heartbreak Hotel using a torrent search site. Is that song copyrighted? Would you feel badly about downloading and playing it?

7. Watch and summarize Larry Lessig’s presentation on copyright.

Resources

• Searching for Torrents: http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/searching-torrents.htm

• What is Bit Torrent? http://www.techsupportalert.com/what-is-bittorrent

• Download Bit Torrent: http://www.bittorrent.com/• Bit Torrent explained by Commoncraft: http://

commoncraft.com/bittorrent-video• Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/• Full Larry Lessig copyright presentation: http

://randomfoo.net/oscon/2002/lessig/free.html• Larry Lessig copyright presentation, all material: http

://randomfoo.net/oscon/2002/lessig/