# P2P core/daemon/engine in base?



## rigoletto@ (Feb 20, 2018)

Hello.

While trying to sleep yesterday I had this idea. Nothing new and probably will not be implemented, specially by me who can't write code, but I am sharing it anyway.

The idea would be to have a P2P core/daemon/engine in Base with some API to be used by clients including pkg(8), freebsd-update(8), and portsnap(8) updates, and would also allow anyone who desire to become a FreeBSD (partial) mirror[1], what would reduce the load of the FreeBSD infrastructure.

Other than those, a Syncthing-like client could be created[2], and of course "normal" clients like those everyone use (CLI, GTK, Qt etc.).

That piece of software could of course be integrated with IPFW, Capsicum or wherever be necessary or desired.

Cheers! 

1 - the mirror option could be something that re-create the packages (etc.) structure separated somewhere in the filesystem, with ZFS datasets when applicable, allowing to replicate just part of that - like just latest packages and/or the last quarterly, etc. Also SEE.

2 - While digging in the net/syncthing online resources some time ago, I found a discussion started by someone from some business interested to use Syncthing to sync files around thousands of servers, so something like that would certainly have value at enterprise level, specially because they could easily(?) create their own solution (client) for their specific needs, including some Nextcloud like service but P2P based.

EDITED. EDITED. EDITED.


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## Deleted member 30996 (Feb 20, 2018)

First impression, that makes me think of how MicroSoft distributes its software using other peoples bandwidth.

It too works on the basis of a torrent. Difference being your idea is opt-in, while theirs is opt-out.

Not to detract from your idea.


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## rigoletto@ (Feb 20, 2018)

Trihexagonal 

As I said, nothing new.


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## SirDice (Feb 21, 2018)

Trihexagonal said:


> It too works on the basis of a torrent.


Just being a bit pedantic here. Torrents are P2P but not all P2P networks are torrents. Bittorrent is just a specific P2P protocol. I guess in this day and age with torrents everywhere torrents have become synonymous with P2P networks in general. But the term "torrents" also has a "bad" connotation to it, it has also become synonymous with "illegal" activities.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer-to-peer


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## rigoletto@ (Feb 21, 2018)

I think I will bring that to some mail list later.

DONE.


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## Deleted member 30996 (Feb 26, 2018)

SirDice said:


> Just being a bit pedantic here. Torrents are P2P but not all P2P networks are torrents. Bittorrent is just a specific P2P protocol.



I've only used torrents once, while still on XP, and didn't like it. It attracts too much attention from what I understand to those aforementioned "activities", and I don't have a VPN if I were to participate in such.

I do read TorrentFreak occasionaly.


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## Sensucht94 (Feb 26, 2018)

Well, speaking of P2P,  ~15 years ago the most popular appliance among end-users  was definitely ed2k, with its absolutely illegal emule client; all kids/teens used it in my town, I confess having done so too


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## Deleted member 30996 (Feb 26, 2018)

Sensucht94 said:


> Well, speaking of P2P,  ~15 years ago the most popular appliance among end-users  was definitely ed2k, with its absolutely illegal emule client; all kids/teens used it in my town, I confess having done so too



My sisters hubby lamented his daughters had over 4000 songs on their devices back then and feared them getting caught. And some poor unfortunates did.

I do not use torrents, have never used emule or any other P2P apps, but have mucha mas musica.


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## rigoletto@ (Mar 3, 2018)

Trihexagonal said:


> My sisters hubby lamented his daughters had over 4000 songs on their devices back then and feared them getting caught. And some poor unfortunates did.
> 
> I do not use torrents, have never used emule or any other P2P apps, but have mucha mas musica.



In my country nobody do care for people torrenting anything, including the government, and most of the artists (musicians specially) but a handful who actually are influential in the "Central Bureau for Collection and Distribution" and get a lot of money from them every year (most old people who do nothing relevant anymore).

Well, the "Central Bureau for Collection and Distribution" also do care, but nobody like them... including the artists


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## PacketMan (Mar 3, 2018)

Internet Archive has a boat load of legally free to download content, although most is either dated or specific user interest groups, and bittorrent is one method to participate with the web site.  Interesting though I see today I get a "_The owner of archive.org has configured their website improperly._" message when using Firefox.

Back to having some sort of P2P built into base, I would say no to that. One of FreeBSDs strengths is the OS comes lean and mean, and the user can add exactly what they want to make their machine valuable.  But the idea of having an installable package whereby my machine uses bittorrent to help distribute FreeBSD code, ports/packages, etc, I would surely give that a try.


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## Deleted member 30996 (Mar 3, 2018)

PacketMan said:


> Internet Archive has a boat load of legally free to download content...



Correct. I've downloaded movies and The Cowboy Junkies flac music files more recently.


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