Ares Galaxy
Encyclopedia
Ares Galaxy is an open source peer-to-peer
file sharing
application that uses its own decentralized supernode/leaf network. It was spun off from the gnutella
network in 2002, and is currently hosted on SourceForge.net
. Ares Galaxy has a simple, quick access interface with a built in audio/video viewer. The latest versions also support the BitTorrent protocol and Shoutcast
radio stations.
network. Six months later, it switched to its own network with a leaves-and-super nodes architecture. Its protocol is more difficult to identify than that of other popular P2P programs. As a result Ares is sometimes the only P2P client that works on restricted networks, such as some university campuses. However, it is possible to block, and many organizations are now doing so. From version 1.9.0, data sharing was enabled between two peers behind a firewall. This may be due to mediating peers. The Ares network was, at one time, largely free from fake and corrupt files, unlike others like FastTrack. However this has changed as its popularity as a file sharing network increased. Since late 2006, several anti-piracy groups, including MediaDefender
and BayTSP
, working for the RIAA, have started hosting fake MP3
files on Ares that never start downloading. These files are hosted from multiple computers using extremely high-bandwidth
connections and therefore appear at the top of the list for any search query that returns them as a result. Some users report that the reliability of establishing connections can be difficult and erratic. From version 1.9.4, Ares included basic support for the BitTorrent protocol.
For some changes in the network, Ares is not able to discover new peers by itself. Copying and pasting a special hashlink in the Address bar is needed to import super nodes into Ares.
style chatrooms and its direct chat tool. One website that can decrypt and encrypt both chat and direct chat hashlinks can be found here.
As from Ares 1.9.6 plaintext hashlinks are supported using the following format:
internet radio.
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
file sharing
File sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...
application that uses its own decentralized supernode/leaf network. It was spun off from the gnutella
Gnutella
Gnutella is a large peer-to-peer network which, at the time of its creation, was the first decentralized peer-to-peer network of its kind, leading to other, later networks adopting the model...
network in 2002, and is currently hosted on SourceForge.net
SourceForge.net
SourceForge is a web-based source code repository. It acts as a centralized location for software developers to control and manage open source software development. The website runs a version of SourceForge Enterprise Edition, forked from the last open-source version available...
. Ares Galaxy has a simple, quick access interface with a built in audio/video viewer. The latest versions also support the BitTorrent protocol and Shoutcast
SHOUTcast
SHOUTcast is cross-platform proprietary software for streaming media over the Internet. The software, developed by Nullsoft , allows digital audio content, primarily in MP3 or HE-AAC format, to be broadcast to and from media player software, enabling the creation of Internet radio "stations"...
radio stations.
The Ares Network
Ares development began in the middle of 2002 and was originally operating on the gnutellaGnutella
Gnutella is a large peer-to-peer network which, at the time of its creation, was the first decentralized peer-to-peer network of its kind, leading to other, later networks adopting the model...
network. Six months later, it switched to its own network with a leaves-and-super nodes architecture. Its protocol is more difficult to identify than that of other popular P2P programs. As a result Ares is sometimes the only P2P client that works on restricted networks, such as some university campuses. However, it is possible to block, and many organizations are now doing so. From version 1.9.0, data sharing was enabled between two peers behind a firewall. This may be due to mediating peers. The Ares network was, at one time, largely free from fake and corrupt files, unlike others like FastTrack. However this has changed as its popularity as a file sharing network increased. Since late 2006, several anti-piracy groups, including MediaDefender
Mediadefender
MediaDefender, Inc. is a company that offers services designed to prevent alleged copyright infringement using peer-to-peer distribution. They are controversial because of their use of unusual tactics such as flooding peer-to-peer networks with decoy files that tie up users' computers and...
and BayTSP
BayTSP
Irdeto Intelligence is a copyright enforcement company based in Los Gatos, California. Irdeto Intelligence was formed by CEO Mark M. Ishikawa and offers defensive services to owners of intellectual property concerned about potential unauthorized distribution through the Internet...
, working for the RIAA, have started hosting fake MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
files on Ares that never start downloading. These files are hosted from multiple computers using extremely high-bandwidth
Bandwidth (computing)
In computer networking and computer science, bandwidth, network bandwidth, data bandwidth, or digital bandwidth is a measure of available or consumed data communication resources expressed in bits/second or multiples of it .Note that in textbooks on wireless communications, modem data transmission,...
connections and therefore appear at the top of the list for any search query that returns them as a result. Some users report that the reliability of establishing connections can be difficult and erratic. From version 1.9.4, Ares included basic support for the BitTorrent protocol.
For some changes in the network, Ares is not able to discover new peers by itself. Copying and pasting a special hashlink in the Address bar is needed to import super nodes into Ares.
Hashlinks
Ares has "hashlinks" functionality, it is able to search for peers with files pertaining to a hash and download from them. Ares also uses hashlinks for its Windows Live MessengerWindows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger is an instant messaging client created by Microsoft that is currently designed to work with Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Xbox 360, Blackberry OS, iOS, Java ME, S60 on Symbian OS 9.x and Zune HD...
style chatrooms and its direct chat tool. One website that can decrypt and encrypt both chat and direct chat hashlinks can be found here.
As from Ares 1.9.6 plaintext hashlinks are supported using the following format:
- arlnk://chatroom:127.x.x.x:port|roomname
- arlnk://radio:127.x.x.x:port
SHOUTcast
From version 1.9.9, Ares Galaxy has experimental support for the SHOUTcastSHOUTcast
SHOUTcast is cross-platform proprietary software for streaming media over the Internet. The software, developed by Nullsoft , allows digital audio content, primarily in MP3 or HE-AAC format, to be broadcast to and from media player software, enabling the creation of Internet radio "stations"...
internet radio.
Alternatives
The following stand-alone alternative clients are known to connect with the Ares network:- Warez P2PWarez P2PWarez P2P is a proprietary peer-to-peer filesharing service released in January 2004 that uses the Ares network, and offers a service similar to that of Kazaa...
(development of an Ares compatible version has been discontinued) - Clients using the giFTGiFTgiFT Internet File Transfer is a computer software daemon that allows several file sharing protocols to be used with a simple client having a graphical user interface...
backend, like Poisoned (Mac OS XMac OS XMac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
) or KCeasy (Windows), connect to the Ares network, in addition to OpenFTOpenFTThis is about the OpenFT file sharing protocol. For the enterprise file transfer software product, see openFT .----...
and gnutellaGnutellaGnutella is a large peer-to-peer network which, at the time of its creation, was the first decentralized peer-to-peer network of its kind, leading to other, later networks adopting the model...
. (official development of the backend engine stopped in 2004) - FileCroc connects to the Ares network and the BitTorrent network.
- iGotcha! connects to the Ares chat network and is designed for Mac OS XMac OS XMac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
. - jAres P2P connects to the Ares network, but is still on development. Written in Java and Open Source. See the Official homepage.
Official sites
- Ares Galaxy at SourceForge (Inconsistently updated)
- Ares Galaxy download page (Up to date)
Other sites
- Arca Eclipse (Arca Eclipse Server Website)
- Sharp Tricks (sb0t Server Website)
- giFT plugin for Ares P2P network
- Ares İndir
- Ares Development Ares Chat Protocol