KaZaA

Kazaa is a file-sharing software similar to Napster barring minor differences. Firstly, Kazaa is second-generation P2P software and is not based on the centralised server principle. This particular software is based on the FastTrack network and is currently owned by the Australia-based Sharman Networks. Niklas Zennstrom from Sweden and Janus Friis from Denmark, though, were the original programmers who invented KaZaA. The FastTrack network supports other P2P clients such as iMesh, Grokster and Kazaa Lite K++.

The principle utilised in the FastTrack network is simple. There is no centralised server. Instead of a central indexing server, the FT network dynamically assigns indexing features to other connected nodes or peers based on criteria such as machine uptime, data availability and system performance. These peers are called Supernodes and it is to these machines that other peers or nodes are connected.


There are a large number of supernodes present on a network at any given time and clients or peers connect to any available Supernode irrespective of the priority of the client. As long as there is a Supernode available on the network, you can be connected. The principle of having a Supernode on the network increases scalability without affecting network performance and also catering to a large number of users at the same time.