FastTrack is a
peer-to-peer (P2P)
protocol
Protocol may refer to:
Sociology and politics
* Protocol (politics), a formal agreement between nation states
* Protocol (diplomacy), the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state
* Etiquette, a code of personal behavior
Science and technology
...
that was used by the
Kazaa,
Grokster,
iMesh and
Morpheus file sharing programs. FastTrack was the most popular file sharing network in 2003, and used mainly for the exchange of music
mp3 files. The network had approximately 2.4 million
concurrent users in 2003. It is estimated that the total number of users was greater than that of
Napster
Napster was a peer-to-peer file sharing application. It originally launched on June 1, 1999, with an emphasis on digital audio file distribution. Audio songs shared on the service were typically encoded in the MP3 format. It was founded by Shawn ...
at its peak.
History
The FastTrack protocol and Kazaa were created and developed by
Estonian programmers of BlueMoon Interactive headed by
Jaan Tallinn, the same team that later created
Skype. After selling it to
Niklas Zennström from
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
and
Janus Friis from
Denmark, it was introduced in March 2001 by their
Dutch company Consumer Empowerment. It appeared during the end of the first generation of
P2P networks
Peer-to-peer (P2P) computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads between peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the network. They are said to form a peer-to-peer n ...
–
Napster
Napster was a peer-to-peer file sharing application. It originally launched on June 1, 1999, with an emphasis on digital audio file distribution. Audio songs shared on the service were typically encoded in the MP3 format. It was founded by Shawn ...
shut down in July of that year. There are three FastTrack-based networks, and they use mutually
incompatible versions of the protocol. The most popular
clients on each are Kazaa (and its variations), Grokster, and iMesh. For more information about the various
lawsuit
-
A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
s surrounding Kazaa and
Sharman Networks, see
Kazaa.
Technology
FastTrack uses
supernodes to improve
scalability.
To allow downloading from multiple sources, FastTrack employs the
UUHash hashing algorithm. While UUHash allows very large
files
File or filing may refer to:
Mechanical tools and processes
* File (tool), a tool used to ''remove'' fine amounts of material from a workpiece
**Filing (metalworking), a material removal process in manufacturing
** Nail file, a tool used to gent ...
to be
checksummed in a short time, even on slow weak
computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...
s, it also allows for massive
corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
of a file to go unnoticed. Many people, as well as the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
, have exploited this
vulnerability to spread corrupt and fake files on the network.
[Thomas Mennecke]
How Overpeer was able to corrupt data on the FastTrack network
.
2005.
The FastTrack protocol uses
encryption and was not
documented
A document is a written, drawn, presented, or memorialized representation of thought, often the manifestation of non-fictional, as well as fictional, content. The word originates from the Latin ''Documentum'', which denotes a "teaching" or ...
by its creators. The first clients were all
closed source software. However, initialization data for the encryption algorithms is sent in the clear and no
public key encryption is used, so
reverse engineering
Reverse engineering (also known as backwards engineering or back engineering) is a process or method through which one attempts to understand through deductive reasoning how a previously made device, process, system, or piece of software accompli ...
was made comparatively easy. In 2003,
open source
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized sof ...
programmer
A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software.
A programmer is someone who writes/creates ...
s succeeded in reverse-engineering the portion of the protocol dealing with client-
supernode communication, but the supernode-supernode communication protocol remains largely unknown.
Clients
The following programs are or have been FastTrack clients:
*
Kazaa and variants
*
KCeasy (requires the gIFT-fasttrack plugin)
*
Grokster
*
iMesh
*
Morpheus, until 2002
* Apollon - KDE-Based
* giFT-FastTrac
– a
giFT
A gift or a present is an item given to someone without the expectation of payment or anything in return. An item is not a gift if that item is already owned by the one to whom it is given. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation ...
plugin
*
MLDonkey, a free multi-platform multi-network file sharing client
See also
*
Kad network
*
Overnet
*
Open Music Model
*
Comparison of file sharing applications
File sharing is a method of distributing electronically stored information such as computer programs and digital media. Below is a list of file sharing applications, most of them make use of peer-to-peer file sharing technologies.
This comparis ...
References
External links
giFT-FastTrack home pageDocumentation of the known parts of the FastTrack protocol from giFT-FastTrack
* Boardwatch
Interview with Niklas Zennstrom
An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" r ...
July 17, 2003
FTWall - A firewalling technique for blocking the fast-track protocol.
*
Advanced Peer-Based Technology Business Models'.
Ghosemajumder, Shuman.
MIT Sloan School of Management, 2002.
*
Music Downloads: Pirates- or Customers?''. Silverthorne, Sean.
Harvard Business School Working Knowledge, 2004.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fasttrack
File sharing networks
File transfer protocols