Napster includes a set of servers run at Napster headquarters and many clients run by Napster users. The problem with this system is that if Napster is forced to shut down their server, or remove users from there system, users can do nothing about it. Servers in the konspire system act as indexes of all files on clients in the system. Each server maintains a complete mirror of the index. Thus, when a client connects to a server and sends a search request, the server can search through all files in the entire system.
Searches are fast because requests are shared throughout a distributed network of servers.
When a new client connects to the network, the servers propagate the client's file list and each server adds the list to its index. Because anyone can run an indexing server, konspire cannot be threatened by legal authorities. Gnutella Gnutella was created by the Nullsoft division of AOL, and attempted to fix some of the flaws of Napster. They are set up by inputting a list of other Gnutella servers when you first use the program. If the neighbors have it, they will send the file back to you.