File sharing over a network

eYredWkae3QVaX8b
Mon, 16 Jul 2018 08:44:15 +0000

Me and my friend arrive at an arbitrary place, we have access to a network from there. Now, we want to share a file and the network connection is all we have. The challenge: make the file go from my device to my friends device in a pure p2p setting. If you know, for sure, that incoming connections are allowed this is very simple but here i want to explore which solutions exist that do not assume this.

Assumptions:

Same network altough possibly different access points (one might be wired and the other wireless)

We have no prior knowledge about the network, incoming traffic might be blocked (outgoing isn't for sure)

No extra machines can aid in the transaction (no hole punching etc)

Should work reliably for any kind of device that you have free -- as in freedom -- control over. that is PCs, android phones/tablets and macs. most of Apple's other hardware can be excluded because they don't allow for anything anyway.

hard mode: We are both digitally illiterate

Goal:

Send a file, p2p, from one party to another.

Me (MSc cs) and my friend (PhD cs) tried to do this last week. And it appears to be among the hardest problems in CS. I would like to discuss this and hear which solutions you might have for this problem.

Edits:

1. this is not an assignment

2. Added some specifics to the assumption set

3. we're looking for practical solutions here.

4. more specs

Comments URL: https://tildes.net/~comp/3f9/file_sharing_over_a_network

Votes: 10

Comments: 45