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November 13, 2000

Peer-To-Peer Networks Take On A Testing Role

Exodus Communications to use the technology to stress-test customers' Web sites

More on Web-site testing:

Web-Site Monitoring Derails Problems (9/25/00)

Tele.com: Carriers Eye Web Hosts (10/16/00)

Network Computing: WebManage's Service Level Reporter Details Performance (10/2/00)

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eer-to-peer computing has found another niche. Web host Exodus Communications Inc. will use the technology--made famous by Napster's music-sharing site--to stress-test customer Web sites.

Under a deal with peer-to-peer specialist United Devices Inc., Exodus' Performance Labs group early next year will introduce a distributed computing service to its nearly 4,000 customers to test the capacity of their sites.

Exodus says the service allows testing that's much more accurate than in-house simulations. "You can't simulate having 100,000 users trying to access streaming video," says J.D. Brisk, managing director of Exodus Performance Labs. Customers will gain a better idea of how many hits their sites can handle and whether they need to upgrade hardware, he says.

Peer-to-peer software combines the processing power of individual computers and lets them communicate over the Internet without going through a server. United Devices' network consists of home PC users who install the company's software and make their processing power available to United Devices in exchange for prizes. United Devices, in turn, makes the processing power available to other companies.

Some Exodus customers say they'll give the offering a close look. "We do extensive testing, but at the end of the day, it's still a simulation," says Bill Graham, acting chief technology officer at pop-culture site Zoom Culture Inc.

Exodus' deal with United Devices is just one example of what will likely be dozens of new applications for peer-to-peer computing. "It cuts down on the amount of square footage you need for computers, so there's potentially big savings," says Cheryl Currid, president of consulting firm Currid & Co. Groove Networks Inc. last month unveiled peer-to-peer software that lets workgroups collaborate in real time. In August, Intel launched a consortium that aims to develop peer-to-peer standards.