Peer-to-peer network
A peer-to-peer (P2P) network is a decentralized communication model in which each peer can act as both a client and a server. In a P2P network, peers share resources and information directly with each other without using any sort of central server.
Every computer is able to connect to every other computer directly - there’s no need to go through a central authority (server).
Advantages of P2P networks
- They’re more resilient to failure, because there’s no central point of failure. If one peer goes down, the others can still communicate with each other - one device breaking doesn’t bring them all down!
- They’re more scalable, because you can add more peers to the network without needing to worry about a central server getting overwhelmed.
- They’re more private, because there’s no central authority that can monitor or control the communication between peers.
- They’re more efficient, because peers can share resources directly with each other, without needing to go through a central server.
Advantages of client-server networks
- The server has central control over all the devices
- Easier to manage the network
- Can install and update software on just one machine, and it will update everywhere
- Easier to back up data, because it’s all stored on the server
- Can have better security, because the server can control who has access to what resources
- The server can be very powerful if a single user wants to use a lot of its processing power
- The clients can be pretty cheap, because they don’t need to do much processing
- If the organisation wants to prevent access to certain resources, they can do that easily with a client-server network, because the server has control over who can access what (e.g. they can block any non-work related websites)
Disadvantages of P2P networks
- They can be less secure, because there’s no central server to ‘protect’ the clients
- It can potentially be more expensive, because each peer needs to have the resources to act as both a client and a server (all the computers need to be more powerful)
- It can be harder to manage, because there’s no central point of control
- It can be harder to back up data, because it’s distributed across all the peers
- Can be harder to update software, because you need to update it on each peer individually
- Censorship by your organisation is more difficult… I’ll let you decide on where this should go :)
- If one peer is malicious, it can potentially cause problems for the other peers, because they are sharing resources directly with each other (e.g. it could spread malware to the other peers)
flashcards
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks | In a P2P network, each peer can act as both a client and a server, sharing resources directly without a central server. |
| How do peers connect in a P2P network? | Every computer can connect directly to every other computer without going through a central authority. |
| What happens if one peer goes down in a P2P network? | The others can still communicate with each other, as there is no central point of failure. |
| What is a key advantage of P2P networks regarding scalability? | You can add more peers without worrying about a central server getting overwhelmed. |
| What privacy advantage do P2P networks offer? | There is no central authority that can monitor or control communication between peers. |
| How do P2P networks improve efficiency? | Peers share resources directly with each other without needing to go through a central server. |
| What is a key advantage of client-server networks regarding control? | The server has central control over all the devices. |
| How does software updating work in a client-server network? | You can install and update software on just one machine (the server), and it will update everywhere. |
| How does data backup work in a client-server network? | It is easier because all data is stored on the central server. |
| What security benefit does a client-server network provide? | The server can control who has access to what resources, potentially providing better security. |
| What is a hardware advantage of clients in a client-server network? | Clients can be cheap because they don’t need to do much processing. |
| How can an organisation block access to resources in a client-server network? | Easily, because the server controls who can access what, e.g., blocking non-work related websites. |
| What is a security disadvantage of P2P networks? | They can be less secure because there is no central server to protect the clients. |
| Why might a P2P network be more expensive? | Each peer needs resources to act as both a client and server, so all computers need to be more powerful. |
| What is a management disadvantage of P2P networks? | It can be harder to manage because there is no central point of control. |
| Why is data backup harder in a P2P network? | Data is distributed across all the peers. |
| How does software updating work in a P2P network? | You need to update software on each peer individually. |
| What happens if one peer is malicious in a P2P network? | It can cause problems for other peers, such as spreading malware, because they share resources directly. |