Peer To Peer Network Advantages And Disadvantages | Definitions and What do you Mean by Peer to Peer Network?

Peer To Peer Network Advantages And Disadvantages: A peer-to-peer network is a simple chain and group of computers. It came into existence in the late 1960s. This network allows the sharing of huge amounts of data. There are various types of P2P networking. Such as hybrid P2P, structured P2P and unstructured P2P. In the network, the cost of a server is saved.

Students can also find more Advantages and Disadvantages articles on events, persons, sports, technology, and many more.

What do you Mean by Peer to Peer Network? Advantages and Disadvantages of Peer to Peer Network

A peer to Peer network is known as a set of networks that are connected and share full responsibility for processing data. Here, no device is designated to receive and serve the data solely. Peer to Peer network is also known as P2P networking. There are various advantages and disadvantages of a peer-to-peer network. We shall discuss them in the coming sections.

Advantages of Peer to Peer Network

The following points mentioned below analyze the advantages of Peer to Peer networks.

  1. Low Cost: The total cost of maintaining and building a peer-to-peer network is cheap and inexpensive. As there is no central configuration, the setup cost has been reduced marginally. The payment should be done only once. Furthermore, the windows users, it is not required to pay for the network. Therefore, peer-to-peer networks are cheap and pocket friendly.
  2. Provides Reliability: The peer-to-peer network is not dependent on a centralized system. This allows the computer to function independently from each other. For instance, if one part of the network is disturbed, other parts of the network won’t be disrupted. But, in this case, the users won’t be able to access the files. Hence, peer to peer networks provide reliability.
  3. Implementation: The implementation of a peer-to-peer network is very easy. The implementation does not require an advanced form of knowledge. A hub or a switch can be used to set up a peer-to-peer network. There is not much configuration as this network is not dependent on other networks. But, it requires specialized software. Therefore, implementing a peer-to-peer network is comparatively easier than other networks.
  4. More Scalability: Peer to Peer network is also known as P2P networking. The P2P network is very scalable. The scalability found in the peer-to-peer network is one of its best features. It does not matter to the clients. Even if the clients are added, the performance of the network will be the same. There is an instance where users try to share a file. In this case, you will see an increment in the availability of the bandwidth.
  5. Requirement of the Server: In the peer-to-peer network or P2P networking, each computer network acts as a workstation and server. Thus, there is no need or requirement of using a dedicated server. Each authorized user can use their respective computers to share files and access different files. This will save more costs. Hence, peer to peer networks are cheaper.

Disadvantages of Peer to Peer Network

The following points mentioned below analyze the disadvantages of the peer-to-peer network.

  1. Risk of Viruses: When a peer-to-peer network is employed, the risk of viruses increases. Hence, it is important to prevent your server from viruses. If a single server is harmed, the other team members or computers are disturbed. Even if the entire networking software runs an anti-virus, it is not guaranteed that the computer will prevent itself from viruses and malware. Therefore, using a peer-to-peer network will increase the risk of viruses coming into your software.
  2. Less Security: The peer-to-peer network or P2P networking provides very less security. Most of these networks provide less security to personalize the data and information gathered in software. Suppose, any Information Technology department provides access to a specific device regarding any information, then any other device can have all the information. This occurs because there is no centralized system in peer to peer networks.
  3. No way to Back up Files: In peer to peer networks, one can not back up the files. The only way a user can backup a file in a peer to peer network is by sharing it on any other device. This means that you will have an independent duplicate file that any other user can change and modify. This also occurs due to the lack of a centralized system in a peer-to-peer network. If something happens to the software, there is no way a user can get his or her files back. Hence, P2P networking allows no backing up of files.
  4. Often Suffer from Performance Issues: In a peer-to-peer network, there is no centralized system. Hence, every user has the opportunity to connect to every other device that is connected to it. This means that each computer can be accessed by any user. This results in performance issues. Even if other users are not trying to get access to other files, the performance will be brought down. Therefore, suffering from performance issues is normal in a peer-to-peer network.
  5. Doesn’t allow the user to view files before downloading: Another drawback of using a peer-to-peer network is that it doesn’t allow the user to view and access the files before downloading them. This applies to all other structures as there is no way to review the information before downloading it. Most systems will allow the users to view the file, but they will not allow the users to review the quality of the files.

Comparison Table for Advantages and Disadvantages of Peer to Peer network

AdvantagesDisadvantages
Low cost.Suffers from performance issues.
Provides more scalability. This network is very scalable.Doesn’t allow you to view the file before downloading.
Provides reliability.No way to back up files.
Easy to Implement.Enhances the risk of viruses.

FAQ’s on Peer To Peer Network Advantages And Disadvantages

Question 1.
What is Peer To Peer Network?

Answer:
Peer to Peer network can be defined as a set of networks that are connected and share full responsibility for processing data. Here, no device is designated to receive and serve the data solely. Peer to Peer network is also known as P2P networking.

Question 2.
How does the Peer to Peer network provide reliability?

Answer:
The peer-to-peer network is not dependent on a centralized system. This allows the computer to function independently from each other. For instance, if one part of the network is disturbed, other parts of the network won’t be disrupted. But, in this case, the users won’t be able to access the files. Therefore, in this way P2P networking provides reliability.

Leave a Comment