Peer to Peer File Sharing

Peer-to-Peer file sharing describes the nature of the protocol used to retrieve information - Instead of typical downloads, where one user connects to a server to download a file with one stream, peer-to-peer involves connecting to many other people to download the same file in many pieces, using many streams. This presents two problems for CWU:

1. Peer-to-Peer file sharing is very bandwidth intensive - so much so that we cannot allow it on our network, or it would overwhelm our resources, and service become severely degraded for all users.
2. As your Internet Service Provider, CWU has policies directly related to illegal acquisition of copyrighted material and intellectual property. Campuses all over the country are being legally challenged by the RIAA and CWU does not intend to be one of them. Remember that illegal downloading is just that - illegal.

Examples of what Peer-to-Peer Software is

There are many different Peer-to-Peer networks, and each has it's own (or several) client programs. A few examples are:

Network		Clients
Ares		Ares Client
eDonkey		aMule, eDonkey, eMule, and others
Gnutella		Acquisition, BearShare, Grokster, iMesh, LimeWire, Morpheus, Shareaza, and others
BitTorrent		Azureaus, BitComet, BitSpirit, BitTorrent, µtorrent

As you can see, there are many different types of file sharing clients that you have to careful about having on your computer.

Examples of what Peer-to-Peer software isn't

Although we do not want you to use Peer-to-Peer software on Resnet, we do not want to give the impression that we do not want you to use the network....because, we do! Examples of programs that are not prohibited on Resnet are:

• Online Games
• Internet Radio and Music
  • iTunes
  • Rhapsody
  • last.fm

Be careful, however - some paid music downloading services are actually the Peer-to-Peer clients in disguise - if you have any questions, be sure to contact Resnet Support at 963-2200, especially before purchasing a subscription service - being a paid service does not necessarily make it appropriate for our network.

Removing Peer-to-Peer software

Please see our Resnet Winupdate Server for more information.

Peer-to-Peer Frequently Asked Questions

Is it ok for me to use a Peer-to-Peer application at home, and turn it off when I come to school?

Well, we certainly cannot stop you, but remember that the Acceptable Use Policy specifically states that you are responsible for the software on your computer: this includes software that you know about, software you do not know about, and software that you do not have control over.

Too often, people have their internet turned off for a week because the software that they thought was 'turned off' was actually running in the background, without their knowledge. Remember that the authors of Peer-to-Peer software are not always the most honest people - and, since their software is free, they do not have to be. Their goal is the creation of a Peer-to-Peer network, and often times they will leave their software 'hidden' in the background, even after you (the user) have tried to 'turn it off'. The safest thing is to not have it installed at all.

Why can't I use my music downloading software? I paid for it, and it is legal!

Well, it could very possibly be a legal service, but the rules about Peer-to-Peer software are not about legality - they are about keeping the network operational. Many bit-torrent files are also legal to download, and many people encourage it, but it puts too much of a strain on our network, and we do not have the bandwidth available to allow peer-to-peer downloads.