File searches initiated by the user were keyword-based and matched against the filename list stored on the eDonkey2000 server, but the server returned a list of filenames paired with the hash values of those files to the client. It also allowed clients to find and download files not available from clients connected to the same server.Ī third improvement compared to Napster was the use of file hashes instead of simple filenames in search results. This allowed servers to forward search queries from their locally connected clients to other servers, allowing clients to effectively find peers connected to any server on the server network, thereby increasing download swarm size. On September 16, 2000, client and server versions were available for Microsoft Windows and Linux.Ĭompared to earlier P2P file-sharing program Napster, eDonkey2000 featured 'swarming' downloads, meaning that clients could download different pieces of a single file from different peers, effectively utilizing the combined bandwidth of all of the peers instead of being limited to the bandwidth of a single peer.Īt first, servers were isolated from one another as with Napster, but later versions of the eDonkey2000 server software enabled servers to form a search network.

In 2004, MetaMachines announced it would stop development of Overnet to concentrate on eDonkey2000 (though the eDonkey2000 client now includes the Overnet protocol).ĮDonkey2000 was created by Jed McCaleb, cofounder of Stellar, and was first released on September 6, 2000. Most eDonkey clients also now use the Overnet network. MetaMachines has also created another file-sharing network called Overnet, which interoperates with the eDonkey network, but without the use of servers. Some of those websites also have lists of active servers for users to update. To ease file searching, some websites list the checksums of sought-after files in the form of an ed2k link. Users on the eDonkey2000 network predominantly share large files of tens or hundreds of megabytes, such as CD images, videos, games, and software programs. On September 28, 2005, eDonkey was discontinued following a cease and desist letter from the RIAA. It supported both the eDonkey2000 network and the Overnet network. EDonkey2000 (nicknamed 'ed2k') was (is) a peer-to-peer file sharing application developed by US company MetaMachine ( Jed McCaleb and Sam Yagan), using the Multisource File Transfer Protocol.

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