  Let $X$ be an unbounded metric space, $B(x,r) = \{y\in X: d(x,y) \leqslant
r\}$ for all $x\in X$ and $r\geqslant 0$. We endow $X$ with the discrete
topology and identify the Stone-\v{C}ech compactification $\beta X$ of $X$ with
the set of all ultrafilters on $X$. Our aim is to reveal some features of
algebra in $\beta X$ similar to the algebra in the Stone-\v{C}ech
compactification of a discrete semigroup \cite{b6}.
  We denote $X^# = \{p\in \beta X: \mbox{each}P\in p\mbox{is unbounded in}X\}$
and, for $p,q \in X^#$, write $p\parallel q$ if and only if there is $r
\geqslant 0$ such that $B(Q,r)\in p$ for each $Q\in q$, where $B(Q,
r)=\cup_{x\in Q}B(x,r)$. A subset $S\subseteq X^#$ is called invariant if $p\in
S$ and $q\parallel p$ imply $q\in S$. We characterize the minimal closed
invariant subsets of $X$, the closure of the set $K(X^#) = \bigcup\{M :
M\mbox{is a minimal closed invariant subset of}X^#\}$, and find the number of
all minimal closed invariant subsets of $X^#$.
  For a subset $Y\subseteq X$ and $p\in X^#$, we denote $\bigtriangleup_p(Y) =
Y^# \cap \{q\in X^#: p \parallel q\}$ and say that a subset $S\subseteq X^#$ is
an ultracompanion of $Y$ if $S = \bigtriangleup_p(Y)$ for some $p\in X^#$. We
characterize large, thick, prethick, small, thin and asymptotically scattered
spaces in terms of their ultracompanions.
