07-03-2007, 03:13 PM
Some people are worried that using Skype will mean a huge bandwidth useage as their computer is used by others as a P2P link. There seem to be three layers of P2P use, the first is every few minutes when Skype checks the status of your contacts but it's only a few bytes each time.
Then there are relay nodes and supernodes. See ahti's explanation 22 April 2004 here:-
http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtop...ntry240627
You are very unlikely to be used as a supernode unless your router and computer are on 24/7 with the same IP address for weeks and a high speed connection; Skype sniffs for these and I suspect the computers used are institutional ones. I turn my router off at night so that each time I switch it on I have a different IP address.
Being a relay node is also unlikely but if it happens it will only be occasional.
I was reading today that someone's internet connection was switching off after a few hours. The suggested answer was that Bittorrent was using his computer as a P2P node and making it too hot or that his ISP had noticed too high bandwidth and switched the connection off. It is unlikely to happen with Skype as you are unlikely to be a supernode or relay node.
This pdf file explains Skype. It has never been updated as far as I can tell but it's good general background reading:-
http://www.skype.com/security/guide-for-...admins.pdf
Then there are relay nodes and supernodes. See ahti's explanation 22 April 2004 here:-
http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtop...ntry240627
You are very unlikely to be used as a supernode unless your router and computer are on 24/7 with the same IP address for weeks and a high speed connection; Skype sniffs for these and I suspect the computers used are institutional ones. I turn my router off at night so that each time I switch it on I have a different IP address.
Being a relay node is also unlikely but if it happens it will only be occasional.
I was reading today that someone's internet connection was switching off after a few hours. The suggested answer was that Bittorrent was using his computer as a P2P node and making it too hot or that his ISP had noticed too high bandwidth and switched the connection off. It is unlikely to happen with Skype as you are unlikely to be a supernode or relay node.
This pdf file explains Skype. It has never been updated as far as I can tell but it's good general background reading:-
http://www.skype.com/security/guide-for-...admins.pdf