Apparatus and method for providing peer-to-peer proxy services in peer-to-peer communications

A network gateway device connected between a private network and a public network, comprising:

• a peer-to-peer meta descriptor detector detecting an original peer-to-peer meta descriptor file from the public network;
• a peer-to-peer proxy control unit receiving the original peer-to-peer meta descriptor file from the peer-to-peer meta descriptor detector, modifying the original peer-to-peer meta descriptor file by replacing a network address of a tracker with a private network address to generate a modified peer-to-peer meta descriptor file, and forwarding the modified peer-to-peer meta descriptor file to a first computer in the private network;
• an internal tracker receiving a first inquiry message from the first computer, and replying to the first computer with a pseudo sharing computer list so that the first computer downloads shared contents from a second computer in the private network;
• and
• a peer-to-peer engine loading the original peer-to-peer meta descriptor file.

A peer-to-peer communication method for providing peer-to-peer proxy service in a network gateway device connected between a private network and a public network, comprising:

• detecting an original peer-to-peer meta descriptor file from the public network;
• loading the original peer-to-peer meta descriptor file in a peer-to-peer engine;
• modifying the original peer-to-peer meta descriptor file by replacing a network address of a tracker with a private network address to generate a modified peer-to-peer meta descriptor file;
• forwarding the modified peer-to-peer meta descriptor file to a first computer in the private network;
• receiving a first inquiry message from the first computer;
• determining whether a second computer in the private network is sharing shared contents according to a pseudo sharing computer list;
• replying to the first computer with the pseudo sharing computer list;
• receiving a first request message from the first computer for downloading the shared contents;
• downloading the shared contents according to the original peer-to-peer meta descriptor file;
• and
• forwarding the shared contents to the first computer.