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Peer-to-peer File Sharing Although traditional network file systems like Network File Sharing (NFS) provide a reliable way for users on a Local Area Network (LAN) to pool and share data, Internet-wide file sharing is still in its infancy. Software developers and researchers are struggling to find new ways to reliably, efficiently and securely share data across wide area networks that are cursed by high latency nodes (also known as slow servers). A decentralized network has no central authority, which means that it can operate with freely running servers alone (peer-to-peer, or P2P). Much of the current research into file sharing focuses on systems like this. After the failure of commercially-oriented networks such as, Napster™ and Morpheus™, demonstrated that centralized and purely multimedia-based systems were not made for long-term use by the general Internet public. Building a useful file sharing network is no small task, but an effective system will be a great accomplishment for the modern Internet. The huge amount of accessible data (already into hundreds of terabytes on existing networks) and enormous transfer capacity at little or no cost to users demonstrates the value of such a system, which may soon become a core