Bit Torrent ???

We have been hearing this word for quite a long time!! right ?? What exactly is Bit Torrent ??
Well, in simple words Bit Torrent is p2p (peer to peer) file sharing protocol. It is designed by Bram Cohen. It is designed to provide file transfer among multiple peers across network. It is now maintained by BitTorrent, Inc.

Now little about the working of BitTorrent... There is a central server (called a tracker) which coordinates the action of all such peers. The tracker is meant for managing connections, it does not know the content of the files being distributed, and therefore a large number of users can be supported with relatively limited tracker bandwidth.

Lets consider an example. Suppose there are 4 persons A, B, C and S. 'A' has some data which B and C doesnt have. 'B' has some data which C and A doesnt have and similarly 'C' has some data which A and B doesnt have. These A, B and C are trying to get full set of data. So first A announces it has the data that the other two doesnt have similarly B and C also announces about their data. So what they do is, they share their data until eachone has got full set of data. And the 4th person 'S' is called seed. S has the full set of data. The function of the seed is to distribute the data and share it among A, B and C and these A, B and C will share that data among themselves until they obtain the full set of data. So the seed provides service without having the need of sharing the full set of data to the clients. This is the working of Bit Torrent. Now more about various terms of Bit Torrents in my next post !!