The eDonkey Network (also known as the eDonkey2000 network or eD2k ) is a decentralized , mostly server-based, peer-to-peer file sharing network created in 2000 by US developers Jed McCaleb and Sam Yagan that is best suited to share big files among users, and to provide long term availability of files. Like most sharing networks, it is decentralized, as there is no central hub for the network; also, files are not stored on a central server but are exchanged directly between users based on the peer-to-peer principle.
72-461: The server part of the network is proprietary freeware . There are two families of server software for the eD2k network: the original one from MetaMachine, written in C++ , closed-source and proprietary, and no longer maintained; and eserver , written in C , also closed-source and proprietary, although available free of charge and for several operating systems and computer architectures. The eserver family
144-476: A trade secret . Software can be made available with fewer restrictions on licensing or source-code access; software that satisfies certain conditions of freedom and openness is known as " free " or " open-source ." Since license agreements do not override applicable copyright law or contract law , provisions in conflict with applicable law are not enforceable. Some software is specifically licensed and not sold, in order to avoid limitations of copyright such as
216-507: A "mixed source" model including both free and non-free software in the same distribution. Most if not all so-called proprietary UNIX distributions are mixed source software, bundling open-source components like BIND , Sendmail , X Window System , DHCP , and others along with a purely proprietary kernel and system utilities. Some free software packages are also simultaneously available under proprietary terms. Examples include MySQL , Sendmail and ssh. The original copyright holders for
288-523: A February 21, 1997, internal Microsoft memo drafted for Bill Gates : Early versions of the iPhone SDK were covered by a non-disclosure agreement . The agreement forbade independent developers from discussing the content of the interfaces. Apple discontinued the NDA in October 2008. Any dependency on the future versions and upgrades for a proprietary software package can create vendor lock-in , entrenching
360-467: A Government Security Program (GSP) to allow governments to view source code and Microsoft security documentation, of which the Chinese government was an early participant. The program is part of Microsoft's broader Shared Source Initiative which provides source code access for some products. The Reference Source License (Ms-RSL) and Limited Public License (Ms-LPL) are proprietary software licenses where
432-401: A copy can decide whether, and how much, to charge for a copy or related services. Proprietary software that comes for no cost is called freeware . Proponents of commercial proprietary software argue that requiring users to pay for software as a product increases funding or time available for the research and development of software. For example, Microsoft says that per-copy fees maximize
504-405: A firewall) to continue downloading (and uploading) files with a high number of sources for days, even after complete disconnection from the original Kad or eD2k servers that handled the original requests. (eMule does not query secondary servers when told to disconnect from the server). This source-exchange capability is designed to reduce the load on servers by two thirds or more for files that have
576-405: A firewall) to continue downloading (and uploading) files with a high number of sources for days, even after complete disconnection from the original Kad or eD2k servers that handled the original requests. (eMule does not query secondary servers when told to disconnect from the server). This source-exchange capability is designed to reduce the load on servers by two thirds or more for files that have
648-514: A large number of seeds , or sources (other clients) for the files. The original eDonkey client by MetaMachine does not support source exchanges. On September 13, 2006, MetaMachine Inc., the developer of the eDonkey2000 client, agreed to pay $ 30 million to avoid potential copyright infringement lawsuits brought by the RIAA . In accordance with the agreement, eDonkey is to discontinue distribution of their software as well as to take measures to prevent
720-464: A large number of seeds , or sources (other clients) for the files. The original eDonkey client by MetaMachine does not support source exchanges. On September 13, 2006, MetaMachine Inc., the developer of the eDonkey2000 client, agreed to pay $ 30 million to avoid potential copyright infringement lawsuits brought by the RIAA . In accordance with the agreement, eDonkey is to discontinue distribution of their software as well as to take measures to prevent
792-564: A license for the Internet forum software vBulletin can modify the source for their own site but cannot redistribute it. This is true for many web applications, which must be in source code form when being run by a web server. The source code is covered by a non-disclosure agreement or a license that allows, for example, study and modification, but not redistribution. The text-based email client Pine and certain implementations of Secure Shell are distributed with proprietary licenses that make
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#1732798602966864-560: A monopoly position. Proprietary software may also have licensing terms that limit the usage of that software to a specific set of hardware. Apple has such a licensing model for macOS , an operating system which is limited to Apple hardware, both by licensing and various design decisions. This licensing model has been affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit . Proprietary software which
936-481: A single user or computer. In some cases, software features are restricted during or after the trial period, a practice sometimes called crippleware . Proprietary software often stores some of its data in file formats that are incompatible with other software, and may also communicate using protocols which are incompatible. Such formats and protocols may be restricted as trade secrets or subject to patents . A proprietary application programming interface (API)
1008-462: A software package may be ended to force users to upgrade and pay for newer versions ( planned obsolescence ). Sometimes another vendor or a software's community themselves can provide support for the software, or the users can migrate to either competing systems with longer support life cycles or to FOSS -based systems. Some proprietary software is released by their owner at end-of-life as open-source or source available software, often to prevent
1080-425: A technical measure, such as product activation , a product key or serial number, a hardware key , or copy protection . Vendors may also distribute versions that remove particular features, or versions which allow only certain fields of endeavor, such as non-commercial, educational, or non-profit use. Use restrictions vary by license: Vendors typically distribute proprietary software in compiled form, usually
1152-409: A transmission error is detected, only one chunk is corrupted instead of the whole file. Furthermore, valid downloaded chunks are available for sharing before the rest of the file is downloaded, speeding up the distribution of large files throughout the network. A file's identification checksum is computed by concatenating the chunks' MD4 checksums in order and hashing the result. In cryptographic terms,
1224-409: A transmission error is detected, only one chunk is corrupted instead of the whole file. Furthermore, valid downloaded chunks are available for sharing before the rest of the file is downloaded, speeding up the distribution of large files throughout the network. A file's identification checksum is computed by concatenating the chunks' MD4 checksums in order and hashing the result. In cryptographic terms,
1296-406: A work of free software, even copyleft free software, can use dual-licensing to allow themselves or others to redistribute proprietary versions. Non-copyleft free software (i.e. software distributed under a permissive free software license or released to the public domain) allows anyone to make proprietary redistributions. Free software that depends on proprietary software is considered "trapped" by
1368-462: Is open source , its code is freely available for peer-review of the workings of the protocol. Examples of eD2k protocol extensions are "peer exchange among clients", "protocol obfuscation" and support for files larger than 4 gigabytes , etc. The other eD2k client programs, given time, generally follow suit adopting these protocol extensions. eDonkey client programs connect to the network to share files. eDonkey servers act as communication hubs for
1440-435: Is software that grants its creator, publisher, or other rightsholder or rightsholder partner a legal monopoly by modern copyright and intellectual property law to exclude the recipient from freely sharing the software or modifying it, and—in some cases, as is the case with some patent-encumbered and EULA -bound software—from making use of the software on their own, thereby restricting their freedoms. Proprietary software
1512-484: Is a software library interface "specific to one device or, more likely to a number of devices within a particular manufacturer's product range." The motivation for using a proprietary API can be vendor lock-in or because standard APIs do not support the device's functionality. The European Commission , in its March 24, 2004, decision on Microsoft's business practices, quotes, in paragraph 463, Microsoft general manager for C++ development Aaron Contorer as stating in
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#17327986029661584-625: Is a subset of non-free software , a term defined in contrast to free and open-source software ; non-commercial licenses such as CC BY-NC are not deemed proprietary, but are non-free. Proprietary software may either be closed-source software or source-available software . Until the late 1960s, computers—especially large and expensive mainframe computers , machines in specially air-conditioned computer rooms—were usually leased to customers rather than sold . Service and all software available were usually supplied by manufacturers without separate charge until 1969. Computer vendors usually provided
1656-420: Is best suited to share big files among users, and to provide long term availability of files. Like most sharing networks, it is decentralized, as there is no central hub for the network; also, files are not stored on a central server but are exchanged directly between users based on the peer-to-peer principle. The server part of the network is proprietary freeware . There are two families of server software for
1728-447: Is built in. The satan server software was created by reverse engineering edonkey protocol. The software comes in two versions (C++ and Java). Satan-eDonkey-server software is also gratis. A Java version of the server side can be found in [1] , which was written in 2012. Numerous clients, including several that are free software , are available for the eDonkey/eDonkey2000 network: Proprietary software Proprietary software
1800-473: Is currently in active development and support, and almost all eD2k servers as of 2008 run this server software. There are many programs that act as the client part of the network. Most notably, eDonkey2000 , the original client by MetaMachine, closed-source but freeware, and no longer maintained but very popular in its day; and eMule , a free program for Windows written in Visual C++ and licensed under
1872-489: Is no longer marketed, supported or sold by its owner is called abandonware , the digital form of orphaned works . If the proprietor of a software package should cease to exist, or decide to cease or limit production or support for a proprietary software package, recipients and users of the package may have no recourse if problems are found with the software. Proprietors can fail to improve and support software because of business problems. Support for older or existing versions of
1944-436: Is not synonymous with commercial software , although the two terms are sometimes used synonymously in articles about free software. Proprietary software can be distributed at no cost or for a fee, and free software can be distributed at no cost or for a fee. The difference is that whether proprietary software can be distributed, and what the fee would be, is at the proprietor's discretion. With free software, anyone who has
2016-400: Is required for another party to use the software. In the case of proprietary software with source code available, the vendor may also prohibit customers from distributing their modifications to the source code. Shareware is closed-source software whose owner encourages redistribution at no cost, but which the user sometimes must pay to use after a trial period. The fee usually allows use by
2088-533: The GNU GPL . The original eD2k protocol has been extended by subsequent releases of both eserver and eMule programs, generally working together to decide what new features the eD2k protocol should support. However, the eD2k protocol is not formally documented (especially in its current extended state), and it can be said that in practice the eD2k protocol is what eMule and eserver do together when running, and also how eMule clients communicate among themselves. As eMule
2160-425: The first-sale doctrine . The owner of proprietary software exercises certain exclusive rights over the software. The owner can restrict the use, inspection of source code, modification of source code, and redistribution. Vendors typically limit the number of computers on which software can be used, and prohibit the user from installing the software on extra computers. Restricted use is sometimes enforced through
2232-468: The machine language understood by the computer's central processing unit . They typically retain the source code , or human-readable version of the software, often written in a higher level programming language . This scheme is often referred to as closed source. While most proprietary software is distributed without the source code, some vendors distribute the source code or otherwise make it available to customers. For example, users who have purchased
eDonkey network - Misplaced Pages Continue
2304-625: The Free Software Foundation. This includes software written only for Microsoft Windows, or software that could only run on Java , before it became free software. Most of the software is covered by copyright which, along with contract law , patents , and trade secrets , provides legal basis for its owner to establish exclusive rights. A software vendor delineates the specific terms of use in an end-user license agreement (EULA). The user may agree to this contract in writing, interactively on screen ( clickwrap ), or by opening
2376-487: The Internet via peer-to-peer networks. By shaving the illegal traffic of copyrighted works facilitated by Razorback2, we are depleting other illegal networks of their ability to supply Internet pirates with copyrighted works which is a positive step in our international effort to fight piracy. Besides having Razorback's equipment confiscated and their site shut down, copyright enforcement entities such as MPAA and IFPI have set up several "Razorback2" fake servers online, with
2448-486: The Internet via peer-to-peer networks. By shaving the illegal traffic of copyrighted works facilitated by Razorback2, we are depleting other illegal networks of their ability to supply Internet pirates with copyrighted works which is a positive step in our international effort to fight piracy. Besides having Razorback's equipment confiscated and their site shut down, copyright enforcement entities such as MPAA and IFPI have set up several "Razorback2" fake servers online, with
2520-416: The box containing the software ( shrink wrap licensing ). License agreements are usually not negotiable . Software patents grant exclusive rights to algorithms, software features, or other patentable subject matter , with coverage varying by jurisdiction. Vendors sometimes grant patent rights to the user in the license agreement. The source code for a piece of proprietary software is routinely handled as
2592-496: The checksums of sought-after files in the form of an eD2k link . Some of these websites also have lists of active servers for users to update. In 2004, the eDonkey network overtook FastTrack to become the most widely used file sharing network on the Internet. While figures vary from hour to hour, it is believed, as of mid-2005, to host on average approximately two to three million users sharing 500 million to two billion files via 100 to 200 servers. The network's most popular server
2664-496: The checksums of sought-after files in the form of an eD2k link . Some of these websites also have lists of active servers for users to update. In 2004, the eDonkey network overtook FastTrack to become the most widely used file sharing network on the Internet. While figures vary from hour to hour, it is believed, as of mid-2005, to host on average approximately two to three million users sharing 500 million to two billion files via 100 to 200 servers. The network's most popular server
2736-443: The client part of the network. Most notably, eDonkey2000 , the original client by MetaMachine, closed-source but freeware, and no longer maintained but very popular in its day; and eMule , a free program for Windows written in Visual C++ and licensed under the GNU GPL . The original eD2k protocol has been extended by subsequent releases of both eserver and eMule programs, generally working together to decide what new features
2808-428: The clients, allowing users to locate files within the network. Clients and servers are available for Windows , Mac OS X , Linux , and other Unix-like operating systems . By running an eDonkey server program on a machine connected to the Internet, any user can add a server to the network. As the number of servers and their addresses change frequently, client programs update their server lists regularly. Files on
2880-697: The confiscation at the datacenter in Zaventem near Brussels , after a denouncement of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), in collaboration with the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . The MPAA Chairman and CEO Dan Glickman , described this raid as a "major victory": This is a major victory in our fight to cut off the supply of illegal materials being circulated on
2952-414: The confiscation at the datacenter in Zaventem near Brussels , after a denouncement of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), in collaboration with the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . The MPAA Chairman and CEO Dan Glickman , described this raid as a "major victory": This is a major victory in our fight to cut off the supply of illegal materials being circulated on
eDonkey network - Misplaced Pages Continue
3024-406: The developer of the original eDonkey client, developed Overnet as a successor to the eDonkey protocol. The eMule Project also developed a Kademlia network of their own (called Kad ) to overcome the reliance on central servers. In addition, eMule includes a pure P2P client source-exchange capability, allowing a client with a ‘High ID’ ( i. e. , with incoming eD2k connections not blocked by
3096-406: The developer of the original eDonkey client, developed Overnet as a successor to the eDonkey protocol. The eMule Project also developed a Kademlia network of their own (called Kad ) to overcome the reliance on central servers. In addition, eMule includes a pure P2P client source-exchange capability, allowing a client with a ‘High ID’ ( i. e. , with incoming eD2k connections not blocked by
3168-460: The eD2k network: the original one from MetaMachine, written in C++ , closed-source and proprietary, and no longer maintained; and eserver , written in C , also closed-source and proprietary, although available free of charge and for several operating systems and computer architectures. The eserver family is currently in active development and support, and almost all eD2k servers as of 2008 run this server software. There are many programs that act as
3240-689: The eD2k protocol should support. However, the eD2k protocol is not formally documented (especially in its current extended state), and it can be said that in practice the eD2k protocol is what eMule and eserver do together when running, and also how eMule clients communicate among themselves. As eMule is open source , its code is freely available for peer-review of the workings of the protocol. Examples of eD2k protocol extensions are "peer exchange among clients", "protocol obfuscation" and support for files larger than 4 gigabytes , etc. The other eD2k client programs, given time, generally follow suit adopting these protocol extensions. eDonkey client programs connect to
3312-400: The eDonkey network are uniquely identified using MD4 root hash of an MD4 hash list of the file. This treats files with identical content but different names as the same, and files with different contents but same name as different. Files are divided in full chunks of 9,728,000 bytes (9500 KiB) plus a remainder chunk, and a separate 128-bit MD4 checksum is computed for each. That way, if
3384-400: The eDonkey network are uniquely identified using MD4 root hash of an MD4 hash list of the file. This treats files with identical content but different names as the same, and files with different contents but same name as different. Files are divided in full chunks of 9,728,000 bytes (9500 KiB) plus a remainder chunk, and a separate 128-bit MD4 checksum is computed for each. That way, if
3456-404: The eMule web site forums, called satan-edonkey-server. Given the shut down of major eMule servers due to legal action against them just days earlier, the new server was accepted with suspicion. It was feared that the software may transmit information about the clients to unknown third parties. Some trusted eMule developers received the source code of satan-edonkey-server and stated that no spy-code
3528-402: The eMule web site forums, called satan-edonkey-server. Given the shut down of major eMule servers due to legal action against them just days earlier, the new server was accepted with suspicion. It was feared that the software may transmit information about the clients to unknown third parties. Some trusted eMule developers received the source code of satan-edonkey-server and stated that no spy-code
3600-619: The legal status of software copyright , especially for object code , was not clear until the 1983 appeals court ruling in Apple Computer, Inc. v. Franklin Computer Corp . According to Brewster Kahle the legal characteristic of software changed also due to the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 . Starting in February 1983 IBM adopted an " object-code -only" model for a growing list of their software and stopped shipping much of
3672-643: The list of MD4 checksums is a hash list, and the file identification checksum is the root hash , also called top hash or master hash. It is possible for a malicious user to create two different chunks with the same checksum due to MD4 being vulnerable to collision attacks . The eDonkey network supports searching of files by name and a number of secondary characteristics such as size, extension, bitrate, etc. The Lugdunum versions of eserver (eDonkey server software) support complex Boolean searches like 'one AND two AND (three OR four) AND ("five four three" OR "two one") NOT seven'. To ease file searching, some websites list
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#17327986029663744-643: The list of MD4 checksums is a hash list, and the file identification checksum is the root hash , also called top hash or master hash. It is possible for a malicious user to create two different chunks with the same checksum due to MD4 being vulnerable to collision attacks . The eDonkey network supports searching of files by name and a number of secondary characteristics such as size, extension, bitrate, etc. The Lugdunum versions of eserver (eDonkey server software) support complex Boolean searches like 'one AND two AND (three OR four) AND ("five four three" OR "two one") NOT seven'. To ease file searching, some websites list
3816-506: The network to share files. eDonkey servers act as communication hubs for the clients, allowing users to locate files within the network. Clients and servers are available for Windows , Mac OS X , Linux , and other Unix-like operating systems . By running an eDonkey server program on a machine connected to the Internet, any user can add a server to the network. As the number of servers and their addresses change frequently, client programs update their server lists regularly. Files on
3888-485: The number of users in the network to 10—13 million; however, it is impossible to determine how many people are actually connected to them. Such servers often disseminate advertisements disguised as commonly searched-for music/video files. The main server software used for the eD2k network is known as Lugdunum server . It was created by reverse engineering edonkey protocol and redesigned from scratch. (MetaMachine abandoned development of eD2k server software and revealed
3960-485: The number of users in the network to 10—13 million; however, it is impossible to determine how many people are actually connected to them. Such servers often disseminate advertisements disguised as commonly searched-for music/video files. The main server software used for the eD2k network is known as Lugdunum server . It was created by reverse engineering edonkey protocol and redesigned from scratch. (MetaMachine abandoned development of eD2k server software and revealed
4032-522: The profitability of software development. Proprietary software generally creates greater commercial activity over free software, especially in regard to market revenues. Proprietary software is often sold with a license that gives the end user right to use the software. Razorback2 The eDonkey Network (also known as the eDonkey2000 network or eD2k ) is a decentralized , mostly server-based, peer-to-peer file sharing network created in 2000 by US developers Jed McCaleb and Sam Yagan that
4104-564: The purpose of mimicking the original servers but which yield no useful results, hampering file-sharing traffic. Afterwards, the Swiss anti-piracy tech firm Logistep SA was hired to help further intimidate and prosecute filesharing users. Servers have appeared on the eDonkey network that censor shared content searches and information about files by the type of the file (such as video or MP3 ) or by keywords. These servers report large numbers of users (up to 1.5 million) connected to them, thus raising
4176-510: The purpose of mimicking the original servers but which yield no useful results, hampering file-sharing traffic. Afterwards, the Swiss anti-piracy tech firm Logistep SA was hired to help further intimidate and prosecute filesharing users. Servers have appeared on the eDonkey network that censor shared content searches and information about files by the type of the file (such as video or MP3 ) or by keywords. These servers report large numbers of users (up to 1.5 million) connected to them, thus raising
4248-561: The software from becoming unsupported and unavailable abandonware . 3D Realms and id Software are famous for the practice of releasing closed source software into the open source . Some of those kinds are free-of-charge downloads ( freeware ), some are still commercially sold (e.g. Arx Fatalis ). More examples of formerly closed-source software in the List of commercial software with available source code and List of commercial video games with available source code . Proprietary software
4320-484: The software. This is particularly common with certain programming languages . For example, the bytecode for programs written in Java can be easily decompiled to somewhat usable code, and the source code for programs written in scripting languages such as PHP or JavaScript is available at run time . Proprietary software vendors can prohibit the users from sharing the software with others. Another unique license
4392-402: The source code available. Some licenses for proprietary software allow distributing changes to the source code, but only to others licensed for the product, and some of those modifications are eventually picked up by the vendor. Some governments fear that proprietary software may include defects or malicious features which would compromise sensitive information. In 2003 Microsoft established
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#17327986029664464-826: The source code for installed software to customers. Customers who developed software often made it available to the public without charge. Closed source means computer programs whose source code is not published except to licensees. It is available to be modified only by the organization that developed it and those licensed to use the software. In 1969, IBM, which had antitrust lawsuits pending against it, led an industry change by starting to charge separately for mainframe software and services, by unbundling hardware and software. Bill Gates ' " Open Letter to Hobbyists " in 1976 decried computer hobbyists' rampant copyright infringement of software, particularly Microsoft's Altair BASIC interpreter, and asserted that their unauthorized use hindered his ability to produce quality software. But
4536-476: The source code is made available . Governments have also been accused of adding such malware to software themselves. According to documents released by Edward Snowden , the NSA has used covert partnerships with software companies to make commercial encryption software exploitable to eavesdropping, or to insert backdoors . Software vendors sometimes use obfuscated code to impede users who would reverse engineer
4608-402: The source code to Lugdunum in late 2002, but was never used). Lugdunum has extended the eD2k protocol while maintaining backward compatibility. Lugdunum server software is gratis , but not open source. The stated reason for not opening the source is to prevent the easy creation of fake servers and to prevent attacking the server itself. In September 2007, a new server software was announced on
4680-400: The source code to Lugdunum in late 2002, but was never used). Lugdunum has extended the eD2k protocol while maintaining backward compatibility. Lugdunum server software is gratis , but not open source. The stated reason for not opening the source is to prevent the easy creation of fake servers and to prevent attacking the server itself. In September 2007, a new server software was announced on
4752-606: The source code, even to licensees. In 1983, binary software became copyrightable in the United States as well by the Apple vs. Franklin law decision, before which only source code was copyrightable. Additionally, the growing availability of millions of computers based on the same microprocessor architecture created for the first time an unfragmented and big enough market for binary distributed software. Software distributions considered as proprietary may in fact incorporate
4824-536: The use of previous copies of their software for file sharing. Razorback2 was a server of the eDonkey network, known for being able to handle 1 million users simultaneously. On 21 February 2006, several servers (including Razorback2), located in a Belgian datacenter , were confiscated by the Belgian police, and their operator, who lives in Switzerland , was arrested. This was done after a local judge authorized
4896-422: The use of previous copies of their software for file sharing. Razorback2 was a server of the eDonkey network, known for being able to handle 1 million users simultaneously. On 21 February 2006, several servers (including Razorback2), located in a Belgian datacenter , were confiscated by the Belgian police, and their operator, who lives in Switzerland , was arrested. This was done after a local judge authorized
4968-539: Was at one time Razorback2 , which usually hosted about one million users. Sometime around February 21, 2006, the Razorback2 servers were raided and seized by the Federal Belgian Police. DonkeyServer No1 and DonkeyServer No2 currently combine for over one and a half million users. However, around July 16, 2007, both servers together with several others were shut down after a temporary injunction
5040-404: Was at one time Razorback2 , which usually hosted about one million users. Sometime around February 21, 2006, the Razorback2 servers were raided and seized by the Federal Belgian Police. DonkeyServer No1 and DonkeyServer No2 currently combine for over one and a half million users. However, around July 16, 2007, both servers together with several others were shut down after a temporary injunction
5112-523: Was issued. By 2007, BitTorrent had overcome eDonkey network as the most widely used file sharing network on the Internet. In 2009, it was reported that eDonkey is still the second most popular P2P protocol, but is rapidly declining. The original eDonkey network relied on central servers run by users willing to donate the necessary bandwidth and processing/disk usage overhead. Such servers could be subject to heavy traffic and, consequently, more vulnerable to attacks. To overcome this problem, MetaMachine,
5184-521: Was issued. By 2007, BitTorrent had overcome eDonkey network as the most widely used file sharing network on the Internet. In 2009, it was reported that eDonkey is still the second most popular P2P protocol, but is rapidly declining. The original eDonkey network relied on central servers run by users willing to donate the necessary bandwidth and processing/disk usage overhead. Such servers could be subject to heavy traffic and, consequently, more vulnerable to attacks. To overcome this problem, MetaMachine,
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