Windows Peer-to-Peer Networking

Microsoft Windows Peer-to-Peer Networking provides peer-to-peer protocols, an application platform, and user experiences that ship in Windows. Some of the experiences provided with Windows are:

HomeGroup, which is a home networking and file sharing feature in Windows 7.
Windows Meeting Space in Windows Vista to share files, programs or your desktop, anytime, anywhere.
Windows Internet Computer Names in Windows Vista to find and connect to your computer without the cost or complexity of buying a Domain Name System (DNS) domain name or using DNS dynamic update.

Windows 7 Resources

Springboard Series: Windows 7 HomeGroup
Provides an overview of this home networing and file sharing feature. Also includes links to a setup walkthrough and a HomeGroup FAQ.
HomeGroup from start to finish
A tutorial about this home networking feature in Windows 7.
Why can't I create a homegroup?
The HomeGroup Fix It wizard and a procedure for Windows 7.

Videos

Peer-to-Peer in Windows Vista
A Channel 9 Video describing the P2P platform and experiences in Windows Vista.

Windows Vista Resources

Peer Name Resolution Protocol
How the Peer Name Resolution Protocol (PNRP) works in Windows XP and Windows Vista, why it is important, and where it can be used.
People Near Me
How P2P technologies in Windows Vista enable discovery of people located nearby so that you can start interacting with them in a variety of scenarios.
Harness the Power of P2P Communication in Windows Vista and Windows Communication Foundation
How to build scalable, high performance, large scale messaging solutions for use in collaboration and content distribution scenarios.
Windows Meeting Space and Resulting Internet Communication in Windows Vista
How Windows Meeting Space work in managed environments and across the Internet.Includes procedures for configuration.
Troubleshoot Windows Meeting Space
Solutions to some common problems with Windows Meeting Space in Windows Vista.

Samples and Documentation

P2P Native APIs
Conceptual and reference documentation for the Win32 APIs in Windows Vista and Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2).
Peer Channel
Conceptual and reference documentation for P2P support in the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) and .NET Framework 4 for multiparty messaging.
Peer Channel Samples
Demonstrates how to use Peer Channel in .NET Framework 3.5.
Platform SDK
Download only. Includes samples that demonstrate the use of the P2P Native APIs in .NET Framework 3.0, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2003. The samples are in NetDS\PeerToPeer folder. Downloadable versions of the Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and .NET Framwork 3.5 and for Windows 7 and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 are also available.
Windows XP Update for PNRP 2.0
An update that allows computers running Windows XP with SP2 to communicate with computers running Windows Vista.

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