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{{lowercase|title=eDonkey network}}
The '''eDonkey network''' (also called '''eDonkey2000 network''' or '''ed2k''') is a [[peer-to-peer]] [[file sharing]] network used primarily to exchange music, films and software. Like most file sharing networks, it is decentralized; files are not stored on a central server but are exchanged directly between users based on the [[peer to peer]] principle. <!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[Image:EDonkey Netwok Communication model.jpg|thumb|right|Model of eDonkey network]] -->
The eDonkey [[client (computing)|client]] programs connect to the network to share files. eDonkey [[Server (computing)|server]]s act as communication hubs for the clients and allow users to locate files within the network. Clients and servers are available for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[Apple Macintosh|Macintosh]], and [[Linux]] and other [[Unix|UNIX]] variants. Anyone can add a server to the network. Because of constant changes to the server network, clients update their server lists regularly.
== History ==
In [[2004]], the eDonkey network overtook [[FastTrack]] to become the most widely used file sharing network on the Internet. While figures vary from hour to hour and day to day, it is thought, in mid-2005, to host on average approximately two to three million users sharing 500 million to two billion files via 100 to 200 servers. The network's most popular server was, at one time, [[Razorback2]], which usually hosted about 1 million users. Sometime around [[February 21]] [[2006]] the Razorback2 servers were raided and seized by the Federal Belgian Police.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4743052.stm News story about raid on large eDonkey server in EU] </ref> The Razorback2 server is no longer online. 'Donkey Server No. 2' and 'Donkey Server No. 1' currently combine for over a million users.
== Features ==
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To overcome this problem MetaMachine, the company developing the original eDonkey client, developed a "successor" of the eDonkey protocol called [[Overnet]], [http://www.overnet.com/ www.overnet.com]. eMule has developed a [[Kademlia]] network of their own, generally called [[Kad Network|Kad]], to overcome this reliance on central servers. [[Emule]] also has a pure P2P client source exchange capability, allowing a client with a 'High ID', i.e. no firewall preventing incoming connections, and a few files well flushed with sources initally acquired from KAD or an ED2K server to keep uploading and downloading for a day or longer after complete disconnection from KAD and ED2K server (Emule won't UDP-query secondary servers when told to disconnect from the server). The source-exchange capability was designed to reduce the load on the servers and KAD by two-thirds or more for files that have a significant quantity of 'seeds', or clients providing sources for the files. MetaMachine Edonkey (eD Hybrid), the 4th or 5th place client for user count on the ED2K network that recently shut down in fear of the RIAA, can not do source exchanges.
== Clients ==
There are numerous clients for the eDonkey network, some of which are [[open source]] or [[free software]]:
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For all clients list, please see [[comparison of eDonkey software]].
== The eDonkey client RIAA agreement and its effect on the network ==
{{main|eDonkey2000}}
On [[September 13]], [[2006]], the firm behind the [[eDonkey2000]] client, MetaMachine Inc, agreed to pay $30 million dollars to avoid potential copyright infringement lawsuits from the [[RIAA]]. As per the agreement, eDonkey will discontinue distribution of their software as well as to take measures to prevent file-sharing by using previous copies of their software. The actual impact of the RIAA agreement on the ED2K network as a whole has been very small. This is because eMule has been the dominant client on the network since 2002; it already represented over 90% of the network at the time of the agreement. <ref>[http://greatinca.net/blog/my-emule-usage-statistics/ GreatInca's blog eMule Usage Statistics] - Shows the vast majority of the ed2k clients being open source Emule clients. When including the 'eM Compat' clients (mostly eMule Plus clients), over 90% of the clients are eMule clients.Edonkey is identified as edhybrid in these stats. </ref>
eDonkey was also outnumbered by the minority clients aMule and Shareaza, the 2nd and 3rd largest minority (by far) clients in terms of usage.
== See also ==
*[[Kad Network]]▼
*[[Overnet]]▼
*[[Comparison of eDonkey software]]
*[[Comparison of file sharing applications]]
▲*[[Overnet]]
== References ==
<references />
== External links ==
*[http://phantomp2p.co.uk PhantomP2P.co.uk] - Large eDonkey2000 (eD2k) Link Database
*[http://kent.dl.sourceforge.net/pdonkey/eDonkey-protocol-0.6.2.html pDonkey project] - eDonkey protocol description.
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