Announcing Hornet p2p

[Hornet]

Hornet p2p recently posted to freshmeat.net, it's a mod of antsp2p. While many of you might think right off the bat "Another p2p application has been modded, so what". In this case it's a big deal. Antsp2p biggest problem isn't a lack of features or bad design. It's instability and frequent broken upgrades, also upgrading really isn't optional as most of it's users will upgrade and thus anyone not running the latest version will soon lose connectivity to any peers and access to content. Hornet not only provides much needed consistancy for end users, it also provides a network seperate from the often broken antsp2p beta network.

Ok so what's the catch, it contains adware or something nasty like that, or submits profiling details to the authorities or any other number of underhanded things right? Wrong, it's clean, totally clean and written in pure java, no possibly infected installers, no bugged .exe files. If your still not convinced, just decompile it's .jar and class files for yourself and see. You could spend hours, days, years looking for anything bad and be left empty handed because there is nothing to find.

Now that you've hopefully been convinced it's clean, what about stable and worth using? Well the current longest runtime for it is more than 60 hours, with no crashes or bugs in sight.

Ok what about speed, how fast is it's networking. Well surprisingly fast for an anonymous filesharing application. One user reports already seeing over 1gb uploaded, 1gb routed and is aware of roughly 76gb of content. Considering that as more users join the network the amount of traffic will only increase and currently is considered to be low. It's truely an amazing find for any p2p user.

Ok so where is the downside, there has to be one right? Well yeah there is otherwise it would really be too good to be true. The downside is hashing content takes awhile and there is a issue of being flooded with queries, however they do not render the application unuseable. One thing to note is that chat and instant messeging isn't anonymous, though that's only of minor concern at the moment.

So what about resources, it's a major hog right? Well it does consume a considerable amount of ram, the most seen so far is just over 100mb. As to cpu resources, typically less than 20% on a 2ghz amd based system. Though expect more cpu resources to be used while hashing.

So just how long does it take to download and set up? Not very long at all. A 2mb download and a few minutes to install and configure (via a integrated wizard). Then for example about 12 hours to hash 50gb of content (basically just let it hash overnight) and your ready to connect. If you don't have any content you wish to share, then just connect and begin looking for content to download. What if you aren't interested in downloading content, well there are other things to do, such as chat, host anonymous websites (via the included webserver), there is also instant messeging (takes a few minutes to setup an account and configure the client).

A note on chat and instant messeging privacy, while the default chat feature connects directly to irc and is used mainly for network bootstrapping, there are some basic privacy features that keep newbies from easily finding out ip addresses based on the users nickname. The instant messeging also has such basic privacy features and with the added option of being able to connect through a proxy server. Overall privacy wise the instant messeging provides a safer and graphically better environment for chatting. One thing to note on bootstrapping to the network, it's really optional as to how users go about it. Users can exchange thier addresses and or peer caches with each other via instant messeging, anonymous email, whatever. Though the fastest way to connect is through irc. Once a user is connected, they don't have to remain connected to the irc server though.

So how large is the network currently and how large will it be? Truely there isn't anyway of knowing just how large it is or how many people are running the application. There could be several seperate groups of users running the application and never connecting to each other. The potential for that kind of network fragmentation exists, however it just takes one user per group to bridge the groups together. However that could be a good thing to, because it provides the ability for localization based on location, language, content, etc.

Why can't I find the source anywhere? Well since it's based on antsp2p, anyone that want's to create a simular application can go grab the ants source and roll thier own flavor (though it's easy enough to just replace the included graphics). However that isn't the reason. The reason is due to the sourceforge project registration taking longer than expected, however when they finally do the source will be posted in archive form and in a cvs.

What about documentation, a user guide? Currently no, one doesn't exist. However antsp2p's sourceforge site does link to documentation and help forums, since hornet is a mod, uses can learn how to use it from that documentation.

Ok can just anyone run it, what are the requirements. Well it requires java 1.4 or newer (preferably 1.5 as it is much faster). A network of some kind, lan, dialup, broadband. Two open ports. A decent machine, 1ghz 500mb ram. The application is os independant meaning that anyone running a windows, linux, mac or java vm capible machine can run it. When it comes to language anyone can translate it into thier native language (if it currently isn't supported).

Finally anyone really paranoid can ready futher details on the ants security, protocols and networking that is built into it at the antsp2p websites. Remember trust cannot be given it must be earned. Enjoy.

see http://www.hackerheaven.org/node/view/89

HORNET

[fnordprefect]

Thanks for the post about Hornet. It's a sweet mod of Ants and I've actually been able to DL and UL some content which is more than I ever got out of Ants.

One thing, your link at the bottom is missing an initial "h" in http.

[Hornet]

Originally Posted by fnordprefect

Thanks for the post about Hornet. It's a sweet mod of Ants and I've actually been able to DL and UL some content which is more than I ever got out of Ants.

One thing, your link at the bottom is missing an initial "h" in http.

Hornet p2p ( ad hoc adaptive network using ants protocol(GWREN) )

Hornet needs developers so if you would like to help with the development of this new p2p program please visit us.

New Hornet web site up: http://bitzbreaker.zap3x.com/p1.html

Sourceforge: http://sourceforge.net/projects/hornetp2p/

[crackerjacker]

so where do you wanna go today!

[Hornet]

Originally Posted by crackerjacker

so where do you wanna go today!

I want to go to Canada :blah

[Hornet]

News

An Minor Update Is Now Availible.
Corrects a small mistake with the Jeti Plugin that is packaged with alpha one release two.

New irc network and channel added irc.kgone.com #hornetp2p

see http://bitzbreaker.zap3x.com/p1.html

and http://sourceforge.net/projects/hornetp2p/

Discussion is through jabber instant messeging at hornetalpha@conference.illx.org
(use jeti or jetiants to access)

Also Dutch, English and International Antsp2p Forums (User Registration Required)

Hornet

[3rdMall]

Just a quick thought. Many users are not under threat from the riaa etc, what if there were an option to connect to other users not under threat, without encryption? They could still serve (ul/dl) some encrypted data for the rest of the colony but make good use of thier "safe" net connection. It would also bring more users, more files and better "press".

What do you think?

[tsafa1]

Originally Posted by 3rdMall

Just a quick thought. Many users are not under threat from the riaa etc, what if there were an option to connect to other users not under threat, without encryption? They could still serve (ul/dl) some encrypted data for the rest of the colony but make good use of thier "safe" net connection. It would also bring more users, more files and better "press".

What do you think?

no, because the person you are connecting to, may not want a direct connection with you. If i have the file you want and you try to make a direct connection with me, how do i know you do not work for the RIAA.

But.....that said..... The IRC chanel is a regular IRC chanel. The gui interface can be upgraded to support standard GET/SEND commands of IRC. That would not take too much effort to do either. Just take MIRC's interface and drop it into ants. Then you can initiate private conversations with people and they can choose is they wish to trust you or not and engage in direct transfers. You might even give people the option of selcting which IRC interface they would liketo install, Mirc, mozilla chat, panzer.

The Jeti plug in may even be upgraded to suport direct transfers.

I think your idea, in this fassion is a very good and easy option that should be available. natuarly, by default these options should be off. and further more turnoing tehm on should be a mutistep process. This way you ensure that only people who know what they are doing turn the option on intentionaly.

[tsafa1]

What version of ants is this hornet update based on?

If you can, you should create a client that only needs one port to connect. A lot of people on college campuses do not have the option of using two consecutive ports.

It would also be good to create a client that uses webhost caches to boot strap rather then IRC. A lot of people are intimidated by IRC.

The concept behind Ants is a very sound one. I think its just a mater of putting out various clients to serve the needs of people at difrent levels. The protocole should be finalized in the next few months.

[3rdMall]

Originally Posted by tsafa1

no, because the person you are connecting to, may not want a direct connection with you. If I have the file you want and you try to make a direct connection with me, how do I know you do not work for the RIAA.

Only people who are sure they are not at threat would enable direct connection. It wouldn’t matter if one peer was RIAA because the other has stated "I'm not vulnerable" (it might even keep the RIAA busy chasing users who cannot be got).

Direct connect request packets would still have to be routed via other peers, incase the destination won’t accept DC's.

Originally Posted by tsafa1

............ by default these options should be off. And further more turning them on should be a mutistep process. This way you ensure that only people who know what they are doing turn the option on intentionally.

Agreed. But I think it should be reported as a "feature".

[Hornet]

Originally Posted by 3rdMall

Just a quick thought. Many users are not under threat from the riaa etc, what if there were an option to connect to other users not under threat, without encryption? They could still serve (ul/dl) some encrypted data for the rest of the colony but make good use of thier "safe" net connection. It would also bring more users, more files and better "press".

What do you think?

See http://www.zeropaid.com/bbs/showthre...279#post298279

Hornet