Both peer-to-peer file sharing networks and the World Wide Web provide extensive information resources, and either network may contain data that satisfies a searcher's information need. This paper describes work to improve the accessibility of files across different delivery platforms, making it possible to use a single search modality. We propose a gateway between the WWW and peer-to-peer networks that permits searchers on one side to be able to seamlessly search and retrieve files on the other side of the gateway. The design and prototype implementation of such a gateway to Gnutella is detailed, along with access statistics from test deployments and lessons learned.
B. D. Davison, W. Zhang, and B. Wu. (2008). Connecting P2P to the Web: Lessons from a Prototype Gnutella-WWW Gateway. Internet Research, 18(3):336-356. DOI: 10.1108/10662240810883344. An Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2009: Highly Commended award winner.
An earlier draft was published as B. D. Davison, W. Zhang, and B. Wu, Connecting P2P to the Web: A Gnutella-WWW Gateway, Technical Report LU-CSE-05-016, Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering, Lehigh University, 2005. Portions were also published in B. D. Davison, W. Zhang, and B. Wu, Lessons from a Gnutella-Web Gateway. In the Thirteenth International World Wide Web Conference Alternate Track Papers and Posters, pages 502-503, ACM Press, New York City, May 2004.
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