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Edonkey2000eDonkey2000 is a peer-to-peer file sharing application developed by MetaMachine, using the Multisource File Transfer Protocol. The eDonkey file sharing network is decentralized like many other file sharing networks. Two kinds of applications connect to the network: client and server. Clients allow users to connect to the network and to share files. Servers act as hubs for the clients. Both client and server are available for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux and other UNIX variants. eDonkey uses a compound MD4 hash checksum to identify files. This function allows identification of identical files with different filenames. Another feature of eDonkey is that it shares file segments before the download completes; this speeds up file distribution throughout the network. The network is based on a decentralized server network. Anyone can set up a server. Because the server network changes frequently, clients must maintain server lists. Users on eDonkey predominantly share large files of tens or hundreds of megabytes, such as CD images, videos, games, and software programs. To ease file searching, some websites list the checksums of sought-after files in the form of an ed2k link. Some of those websites also have lists of active servers for users to update. There are numerous other clients for the eDonkey network, some of which are open source: - eMule is an open source Windows client, and as of 2004 is much more popular than the MetaMachine client. Ports of eMule to Unix platforms include xMule, lMule and aMule (which aims to support Win32 and Mac too).
- MLDonkey is a free software client that runs on many platforms and supports numerous other file-sharing protocols as well.
- Shareaza is an open source multi-network client for Windows only.
- MediaVAMP (later changed to Pruna) is a Korean only client.
- lphant is a client that runs on top of Microsoft .NET software platform, and will hopefully soon work on emerging open-source clones of .NET like the Mono development platform, which will allow lphant to be used on alternative platforms & operating systems like GNU/Linux.
As of 2003, most widely used ed2k server is Lugdunum, although MLDonkey provides an open source alternative. The inventor of eDonkey invented another file-sharing network called Overnet, which interoperates with the eDonkey network, but without the use of any servers. Most eDonkey Clients now also use the Overnet network. In 2004, MetaMachines announced it would stop the development of Overnet to concentrate on eDonkey2000 (though the eDonkey2000 client now includes the Overnet protocol). The latest version of the official eDonkey2000 client also includes a plugin that allows BitTorrent files to be be downloaded. Once a torrent is being downloaded the search facility within eDonkey can find the same file within the edonkey/overnet network and synchronise its download. This effectively allows a torrent to be used as another source for the download, vastly increasing speed as well as virtually eliminating problems with fakes. Torrents are very "clean" in terms of falsely labelled files and their use as file size verifiers in addition to eDonkey2000's own user based fake warning system has vastly improved the network's functionality, especially in comparison to other notoriously fake ridden networks such as Kazaa. By effectively combining the range of the existing Overnet & eDonkey networks with the lightening fast file distribution of the BitTorrent system, eDonkey2000 is following a growing trend amongst Peer-to-Peer programmes of integrating downloads from multiple networks. This has the advantage of maximising the number of files available whilst limiting vulnerability to severe damage to or closure of a single network. Whilst programmes such as MLDonkey and GiFT may provide access to a larger number of networks, eDonkey has been amongst the most successful in providing smooth & intellegent integration between different the Peer to Peer networks allowing for downloads from dissimilar networks, which is a feature which only eDonkey and Shareaza have. Given its speed & popularity, it makes perfect sense to concentate on getting good functionality in the BitTorrent plug-in before contemplating integrating other networks. External links
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