Gnutella client locating

[fernandez]

Since Gnutella is completely decentralized, I wonder, how does one Gnutella client find another Gnutella client?

A common method for locating clients is to triangulate using a central server, however, since there is no server to rely on, how do Gnutella clients find each other?

Is it a simple ping sweep that perchance finds another client in a certain IP range?

[Kyle06]

Sorry man we can't tell ya it is a secret.... :)

[fernandez]

Originally posted by Kyle06
Sorry man we can't tell ya it is a secret.... :)

I believe this secret is a mystery to you too :)

[Ken17625]

I don't know jack about anything, but wouldn't this be the work of the gwebcaches?

[isus]

Originally posted by fernandez
Since Gnutella is completely decentralized, I wonder, how does one Gnutella client find another Gnutella client?

A common method for locating clients is to triangulate using a central server, however, since there is no server to rely on, how do Gnutella clients find each other?

Is it a simple ping sweep that perchance finds another client in a certain IP range?

whoa... ping sweep? are you drunk? that would take forever.

every client connects to a server at startup, download's some ip addy's, and goes from there to connect.

[zaphodiv]

To get started on the gnutella network you normally get the address of some hosts from a host tracker, you find the host tracker using it's domain name.

You can also get started by getting the ip/port of a host that is already in the network by other means such as asking in an IRC channel, emailing a friend who is connected etc.

Once your client is connected to the network it maintains a list of of the ip and port numbers of other hosts it meets on the network.

[Sephiroth]

There is a few methods.

What many used to use was hostcaches which were servers that you connected to at startup and it gave you 10 ips to connect to on the network.

What is used now is Gwebcache which connects people just like a hostscache but it makes hostcaches less vurniable to attack.

Remember though you only need ONE ip of someone who is actively connected on gnutella to get connected. Once you connect to one if they are full or busy then they send you more ips to connect to until you find a open slot.

[fernandez]

Originally posted by isus
whoa... ping sweep? are you drunk? that would take forever.

every client connects to a server at startup, download's some ip addy's, and goes from there to connect.

Quite sober, I can assure you. That's why I said a ping sweep in a certain IP range.

If it connected to a server first, wouldn't that defeat the decentralized nature? I'm just curious about the logic behind it.

[fernandez]

Thanks a lot Zaphodiv and Sephiroth,

finally it makes sense. I'll read up on hostcaches.

[isus]

Originally posted by fernandez
Quite sober, I can assure you. That's why I said a ping sweep in a certain IP range.

If it connected to a server first, wouldn't that defeat the decentralized nature? I'm just curious about the logic behind it.

i know you aren't drunk... just exaggeration.

no network is really decentralized... even kazaa connects to a server to find other clients.

so in the case of p2p, decentralized means that you connect, then are decentralized. you connect directly to peers, unlike napster, where you connected to a server.