File sharing

File-sharing refers to software used to directly or indirectly transfer files from one computer to another over the Internet (or over a smaller Intranet).

A few file-sharing utilities:

• FTP File Transfer Protocol
• Operating System File Sharing Protocols
  • Network File System (NFS)

• • Samba or SMB
  • Appleshare
• Operating System File Sharing Servers
  • Windows 2000 Server
  • Linux
  • Novell
  • Mac OS Server
• HTTP
  • Servers
    • Apache HTTP Server
    • IIS Microsoft Internet Information Services
  • User agents
    • Mozilla, IE, Konqueror, etc.
  • User agents
    • Mozilla
    • CuteFTP
• IRC
• Hotline
• OpenNap protocol
  • Directory servers
    • OpenNap Server
  • User agents
    • Napster
    • Gnapster
    • WinMX
• Gnutella
  • BearShare
  • Gnucleus
  • Limewire
  • Morpheus
• Freenet protocol
  • Espra
• Audiogalaxy
• iMesh
• Direct Connect
• FastTrack protocol
  • KaZaA
  • giFT
  • Grokster
• xolox

Anonymous, Internet file-sharing (such as Gnutella and Napster) grew in popularity with the proliferation of high speed Internet connections and the (relatively) small and high quality MP3 audio format.

Through 2001 and 2002, the entire file-sharing community has been in a state of flux, since record companies and RIAA try to shut down as much of this as possible. Even though they have forced Napster into cooperating against copyright violations, they are way behind, since the community has flourished and produced lots of different clients, though not as many different underlying protocols. The second generation of P2P protocols, such as FastTrack and Freenet are not as dependent as Napster is on a central server, making it much harder to shut down these systems through court actions.