Torrenting For Dummies

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rakeshishere

HELP AND SUPPORT
On Lots of Requests of queries from different members on Torrents and on special request by aryayush I have made this thread from various sources around the web..Will update this as fast as possible..I have typed most of stuff in here and will add more to this in the meantime.Please dont discuss about torrent sites as only legal help on torrents can be provided!;)

Bittorrent - Basics

Firstly get a good client such as utorrent or Azureus.CLICK HERE compare those.Other Clients are not recommended!

The client handles the torrent file you download from a tracker. There are a number of sites where you can find torrent files. You can even find them using google, or read around in forums.

The torrent file is not the file you aim to download, but a tool in order to begin downloading it - it keeps you in touch with a tracker och sorts out which users are sitting on which piece. See - bittorrent sends small bits randomly between users, who in turn sends small bits to other users. Have you ever seen a champagne pyramid? Principally the same - one glass gets filled, and that glass in turn fills up the next glass, which in turn fills the next, and so on. Trickling down, filling all glasses. Bittorrent isn\'t linear though, that that example might imply - it randomly sends and receives pieces from random users connected via the same torrent file.


Terminology

Leecher – that\'s the guys that don\'t have the complete file. Observe that the leecher still is a part of the process and uploads at the same time he/she\'s downloading. It might do you good to know that the more you participate in the uploading process, the faster you will get the whole file. Try not to quench the upload speeds too much, it will pay off for you.

Seeder – those that now have the entire file, 100%, and therefore only function to upload to those that haven\'t got the whole thing yet.

Peers – all users connected to the same torrent. The more peers, the greater the speeds, providing there are enough seeders. If there are thousands of peers and only one seed, you will have to exercise some patience.

Tracker – the centre when you start up the torrent. In short - it connects you to other users and is also the thing that sends you messages to your client. It informs you of the health of the tracker at the moment or if, for example, the tracker needs for you to use another client. The latter is clearly put, most errors though are notes of the tracker being bogged down, so just leave the torrent open and again, show some patience.

A complete list can be found HERE


How to download

So - you\'ve downloaded and installed a client or two. And you know you need a torrent file to be able to download a release. Next step.

Practically - you find a torrent file online, you download it to your computer - usually by right-clicking the link and \"save as\", but some sites also have that automatically on left-click. Recommended to keep the actual .torrent-file on your harddisk, in case you need to restart it.

Client – open – browse to .torrent file – open.

Dead simple. Open .torrent file and run, basically. It starts download the minute the tracker has picked up on you being amongst the peers. Most tracker needs AT LEAST a few minutes to pick up, so leave it alone for a while. Return to the client, 15-30 minutes later to check on it.

Observe that the .torrent keep in touch with the various bits of the file you\'re downloading, and it\'s not done until the client displays you have 100% of the file. Before downloading, check the client\'s preferences and set a designated folder. This so that both you and the client know where the file is when done.


Speeds and settings

You should go over your settings in the client, called preferences at times, to see to that you have the best possibilities for good speeds and connectivity.

Ports – In short: Open the same ports in your client as in your firewall/router. Really important.

In your client\'s preferences you always find a port setting. You can, if you wish, use the default setting, but many complain about those ports being too widely used and reducing effectiveness lately, so change them into something else. Any numbers will do.

Add for as many ports you figure you need. For instance: 11111 first port, then 11112, 11113 etc. (Mostly typed in like 11111-11119) Ten ports or so should be enough - certain clients only allows for one port though - no worries it will work anyways.

The trick is that the SAME PORTS are open in your firewall/router as in your client. *portforward.com/ has the best help on how to achieve that, if you don\'t know how to manipulate your firewall/router yourself. Take your time and master this - it will pay off big time.


Bandwidth – Users often have problems with speeds, and if it\'s not because they don\'t have corresponding ports in client and firewall, it\'s because they are choking the bandwidth by too liberal settings. Best is to find the prefences in your client, and limit speeds up and down (varies between clients) to about 80-90 percent of your total bandwidth. Too much, it chokes on itself, too little and you\'ll get mad. Fiddle around with the settings and see what your system can handle.

Most clients has a site and a FAQ where you can read around about the settings. Test it, experiment, it will become easier as you get to know the client. If nothing else works, change client, and see if the interface of the new one perhaps feels easier to handle for you.

If you absolutely can\'t control the speeds, you can use a proggie like Bandwidth Limiter or Netlimiter, where you can set how much bandwidth each program is allowed to take. However - they require some work, and can create problems, so try to use the client instead.


Why is it still slow, even though having done all above?

The downside of Bittorrent is limited life-expectancy on the torrent files. If you have started to download a file that was released some time ago, chances are that there are very few peers hooked up to it, or it might even lack a seeder. You can check the client if indeed there are more than 100% of the file distributed between the leechers, which would give you a chance at least to finish it, but usually the speeds are quite slow in cases like these. Sometimes you simply have to give up on it.

The point is - it\'s not going faster than what the peers connected to the same file allows/are capable to give. Patience, and then some more patience.


Bits and bobs

Most errors that shows up is notes about the health of the tracker. Usually that it\'s bogged down. Leave the torrent as is in the client, and return a bit later to see if things have improved. Some errors are quite clear: Change client, Register on Tracker. In which case you simply do as the message you get tells you, in order to get the file.

Some releasers uses something called \"superseeding\" when releasing. This function serves to \"force\" users to participate in uploading the pieces they recieve. Read this for a detailed description. This setting sometimes makes your client to believe that a torrent is without a seeder, because of the nature of the function. That is not the case - a relatively new torrent, with lots of peers - even though showing zero seeders it\'s probably because it\'s superseeded, so please just be patient.

Bittorrent is built on everybody helping eachother out. It is considered good manners to at least upload as much as you download. Yeah - some have less possibilities to seed, but then try out to help out in other ways. Entering the bittorrent community with some sort of notion to just download - only creates bad will, so please do not demand anything, and give back as much as you can and be helpful.

How to FIX # Of Connections Limted by XP SP2

Summary: Ever wonder why you can see 300 people out on the internet with a file you want and wonder why you are only connected to 2 of them? You need to hack TCPIP.SYS to get 100% connectivity of any P2P program.

Details:

Windws XP SP2 introduces a few new twists to TCP/IP in order to babysit users and \"reduce the threat\" of worms spreading fast without control.

Microsoft has introduced a new security feature with the release of Windows XP SP2 that limits the number of possible TCP connection attempts per second to 10 (was unlimited before). This feature can possibly affect programs that make heavy use of TCP/IP connections, e.g. Paessler\'s Webserver Stress Tool and IPCheck Server Monitor. This article explains how to patch your system to remove the limitation.

The Problem:
With 10 new connections per second you can still create 600 connections per minute, but this is still not enough for a load testing tools or P2P sharing.

Unfortunately there exists no REG-key which could easily be set. The only way to get rid of this limitation is to apply a patch to the TCP/IP Windows library. The file TCPIP.SYS in the directory C:WINDOWSSYSTEM32DRIVERS and C:WINDOWSSERVICEPACKFILESI386 has to be changed (system dependend eventually in C:WINDOWSSYSTEM32DLLCACHE, too).

The Solution:
To change or remove the limit, you can use the following program: Event ID 4226 Patcher v2.x - A patching program for removing or changing the limit imposed on connection attempts in SP2. The patcher has the ability to restore tcpip.sys back to the original... Still, you might want to back up tcpip.sys, use it at your own risk.

The URL of the download page is:
*www.lvllord.de/?lang=en&url=downloads

(The author of this patch can be reached at *www.lvllord.de).

This program increases the value from 10 half-open connections to 50 and the CRC is been corrected. The value can be changed during runtime and with the parameter /L.

Instructions
Just download the patcher and execute it. It will automatically find the windows directory and ask you if it should increase/decrease the value. For higher values than 50, please check the help with parameter /?. After a successful patch, the new TCPIP.SYS will be automatically installed. After that, the computer should be restarted.
Windows security will notices the change in file size and should pop up an error to \"fix\" the damaged file. Press cancel


For point to point sharing - I would set it to 100 which works out to 6000 connections permited per minute.

This does not increase your network speed ... it increases the speed in which you connect to others to ask them to share the file you want.

People who only download 1 file at a time will not notice any improvement.

You can Get the same patch for windows vista HERE

Why bother being connectable ?

How can I be unconnectable?

BitTorrent says I\'m uploading.
Being unconnectable doesn\'t mean you can\'t send out data; it means other peers can\'t initiate connections to you. If you initiate the connection, then that\'s fine; but if the other peer is unconnectable as well, it means you two can\'t connect.

Why does this make a difference?
If you\'re unconnectable, it means the peers you are connected to are bearing a heavier load than if you were connectable, and your download performance will suffer.

The graph below represents a torrent with 12 peers, 6 unconnectable (red) and 6 connectable (blue). The blue peers each have connections to 11 others, and those others are dividing their uploads among an average of about 8 other peers. The red peers each have connections to 6 others, and those others are dividing their uploads among 11 peers each.
*img.photobucket.com/albums/v677/wanderlustfl/firewalled_peers1.jpg

This means that, in a swarm with equal numbers of connectable and unconnectable peers, that Connectable peers receive 2.4 times as much attention than the unconnectable peers.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of unconnectable peers out there, and your swarm may look more like this one... In this swarm, with ten unconnectable peers and four connectable, the connectable peers get 7 times as much attention.

*img.photobucket.com/albums/v677/wanderlustfl/firewalled_peers2.jpg

Isn\'t having open ports bad?
Well, you shouldn\'t leave your computer without some form of security, especially if you\'re running Windows. But there\'s a difference between leaving your NetBIOS port 139 exposed to the world (equivalent to having a nice big doggy door and no dog in a bad neighborhood) and opening specific ports for particular purposes.

In the case of BitTornado, because it runs under a bytecode-interpreted engine, it is unlikely an attacker would be able to actually take over your machine. DoS-type exploits (which may cause BitTornado to cease operation or crash) are potentially possible, but the author takes some pains to try and ensure that doesn\'t happen.

And so, the moral of the story is simple: be connectable!

Click Below to Check the Tutorial on :-

Configuring BSNL Modems to Forward Ports.


 
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CINTEL ENTRINO

Loading . . . please d'nt
It might do you good to know that the more you participate in the uploading process, the faster you will get the whole file. Try not to quench the upload speeds too much, it will pay off for you.

can u elaborate on this pls. i didnt get this completely....
 
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rakeshishere

rakeshishere

HELP AND SUPPORT
CINTEL ENTRINO said:
can u elaborate on this pls. i didnt get this completely....
Try Not to Limit the upload speed in ur torrent client..Set it to unlimited so that u Get the File AFAP:wink:
 

Maverick340

Ambassador of Buzz
well yes. its based on give and take. more you give more you take :)
also some trackes are private and need you to maintain a ration of dl : ul
so you need to upload as much as you dl
 

Harvik780

ToTheBeatOfUrHeart
Mostly p2p is associated with piracy.But no one cares..Probably u should also tell something about having a good share ratio
 
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gauravakaasid

Back to l33ching :)
@CINTEL ENTRINO......get hold of greedytorrent dude, that's a gr8 piece of softy u cant live widout

get it from here ->*www.greedytorrent.com/download.php
 
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rakeshishere

rakeshishere

HELP AND SUPPORT
gauravakaasid said:
@CINTEL ENTRINO......get hold of greedytorrent dude, that's a gr8 piece of softy u cant live widout

get it from here ->*www.greedytorrent.com/download.php
Such softies only HELP u only on Public Trackers.Give a Shot on Private ones and see what happens:D

Harvik780 said:
Mostly p2p is associated with piracy.But no one cares..Probably u should also tell something about having a good share ratio
Thread is now updated.Will completely document it with the Topic-HOW TO KEEEP A GOOD SHARE RATIO ON PRIVATE SITES;)
 
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rakeshishere

rakeshishere

HELP AND SUPPORT
gauravakaasid said:
^^but public trackers dont bother abt ur ratio, do they? u r scaring me dude, been using it for abt 2 weeks

There are some trackers which are not fully private;) , these softies will work on all trackers inspite of being private/public :!:
 
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rakeshishere

rakeshishere

HELP AND SUPPORT
CINTEL ENTRINO said:
desitorrents is public or private tracker ??

Trackers are usally public when they are launched and if it gains popularity and has lots of members accessing it,which turns out one fine day to make it a pvt one.Desitorrents is pvt site!
 

hard_rock

Salieri Family
A nice tut. rakesh. Also the bandwidth can be better utilised by removing the 20% reserve(for windows updates) imposed by XP. Checkout the method to remove the Bandwidth limit of 80% by Windows XP here..
*www.theeldergeek.com/qos_bandwith_reserve_setting.htm
 

aryayush

Aspiring Novelist
I use Transmission on Mac OS X for most torrents and µTorrent on Windows XP for a few.
In Transmission, I just open the torrent file and get helluva speeds. The tracker shows that I am connectable too.

But in µTorrent, some files download at rocking speeds and others refuse to download at all. (Don't tell me about seeders and leechers - I know all that.) I have the firewall turned off too. The tracker always shows that I am not connectable (whether I can download the file or not). I am using µTorrent 1.7 beta. I just applied that TCP/IP patch with the default settings but that didn't help matters any.

Can someone tell me some other way to make sure I am connectable?
 

bazigaar_no_1

Broken In
hmm... I have a couple of doubts..
I just got broadband at home and downloaded Azureus..
I downloaded a couple of torrent files from *torrent site link edited* and loaded them up in azureus...

okay, here are my doubts :
1) Torrentspy doesn't have much indian content, where should I look for it ?
2) The files I loaded in Azureus, show the number of peers as 0.. I keep it on for about 10-15 minutes but still the number of peers remain 0 only.. I have been doing this for the last couple of days but still I haven't downloaded a KB of data.. Help !
3) After downloading the file, what can I do to get better downloading speeds..( the principle of give more ... get more?)
 
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Asfaq

Keyboard addict
Please be informed that torrent site links that promote pirated content will NOT be tolerated at all !!!! There are many regulars and mods watching this topic carefully and inappropriate content is certainly unacceptable.
 
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