What r torrent?

Answer 1

Introduction

Bit torrent by definition is just a file transfer protocol. A Bit Torrent client is the application which uses that protocol. A list of clients that our site accepts can be found in your profile. You can use BitTorrent to share and download any type of file you want.

First of all, you need a bit torrent client - I use azureus - it has lots of cool features and is easy to use once you have used it a little.

You need to have Java installed on your machine if you do use Azureus - if you don't have java you can get that here: Java

BitTorrent Jargon & Language Explained

Next you need to understand the language and how it works. Here's a rough translation:

A Seeder = the one(s) with the file

A seeder is uploading, to get a file you need at least 1 seed in the swarm

A Leecher = the one(s) without the file (also known as a peer)

A leecher is downloading from a seeder (and most of the time is also uploading to other peers/leechers too)

A Tracker = the thing that keeps track of who has what and what pieces

There are many trackers out there, some public and some private

A Swarm = the group of computers involved with any one particular torrent.

The number of computers that the swarm contains is found by adding the number of seeds to the number of peers.

Ratio = the amount you have downloaded compared to the amount you have uploaded. Also referred to as your stats. If you use Bit Torrent you MUST upload/seed as much as you download/leech.

Reseed = asking someone to repost a torrent that has no seeds

Client = the program you use to download Bit Torrent's

How Does It Work?

Lets take soulseek to start with as that is a format most P2P users are familiar with. You have a file and I want it. I get in the queue and wait for the others in front of me to download it, then I get a turn. Needless to say, there can be some quite big queues!

Now lets look at how Bit Torrent works.

First of all, imagine I have a book, with 100 pages, and 10 people want it. I give 10 pages to each person, and between them they have the whole book. I can then drop out of the file exchange and leave them to copy bits between themselves until they all have the full book.

It works the same with files. The file being shared is broken up into smaller pieces. The tracker keeps track of who has what pieces and helps those looking for pieces to get them, while helping those with the pieces share them out to those looking.

I Have My Client Installed, What's Next?

The files you download are .torrent files and they are tiny in size (just a few Kbs). The .torrent just contains information concerning what the file is, how many pieces it has and what tracker it's going through. When you click on a .torrent file, you then chose to open it with your bit torrent client (Azureus). You then select your place to save it and your download will begin (hopefully).

In order to get a download - you need seed(ers). Sometimes the tracker might be down, in which case no one knows who else has the file and it doesn't work.

A download with lots of seeds and only a few peers will generally be quick, if you have lots of peers and no seeds it will generally be slow.

What Are The Benefits Compared To Other P2P Networks?

The main benefit of torrents is its versatility. Because BitTorrent is just a protocol, a way of sharing files, there is no restriction on the type of file you can share. It's popularity also means that you have a wide range of torrents available and the latest releases too.

The big differences with Torrents compared to other P2P networks are:

a] I don't have to give the whole file to each person to get it out there - I can give a bit to each person

b] Once I have given a bit out, it's availability has just increased, because someone else can then also give it out, and so on and so on. the speed of a torrent will generally get better as more and more people want it - unlike soulseek or other P2P apps where you just wait longer to get it!!

c] Torrents technically aren't illegal. After all, a torrent is just a tiny little file with no copyrighted content. It's a bit muddy water here though, as they can facilitate the transfer of copyrighted content.

How Do I Configure BitTorrent When Using A Firewall?

If you are behind a software or hardware firewall you will need to forward the ports that Bit Torrent uses. Put simply, a firewall is designed to limit internet traffic coming into and going out of your PC. A firewall will by default try and stop bit torrent traffic by not letting others in the swarm connect to you.

You can download torrents from behind a firewall or NAT/router, but you'll get much better performance if other peers can connect to you.

As all software firewalls are different I won't go into detail here, you'll have to consult their documentation.

However, an explanation for hardware routers is below.

A router basically acts as a gateway between your PC and the internet. When a connection comes in (from someone looking to share a file for example) your router needs to know what to do with that connection.

So what we need to do is forward the ports. Or put simply, we need to say "when this type of traffic comes in, let it through and send it to my computer".

Your PC has many different ports, but bit torrent only uses ports 6881 to 6889 by default. However - in order to use tt's tracker tracker you need to change your ports to any range between 50000 60000 - or I have mine set between 69999 to 79999

As mentioned above, downloading torrents may work without port forwarding, but you certainly wont get the maximum speeds available!!

As each router and firewall is different I wont be able to go into specific instructions here on how you forward the ports - BUT - this site should be able to help you further if you are having problems with your router Port Forward www.portforward.com

Some Important Things To Remember

IN ORDER TO KEEP THE TORRENT ALIVE AND ALLOW OTHERS TO DOWNLOAD YOU MUST CARRY ON SEEDING TO AT LEAST 1:1 RATIO

Once you have the file, it's no good just closing your client and forgetting about it. In order to allow it to be shared for others you MUST continue to seed. The tracker keeps an eye on your download to upload ratio and those just downloading and running get banned. You will not get far unless you heed this rule.

You are not invisible when you are in a swarm. Others, including copyright owners if they so wished, can see your IP when you are downloading or uploading a file.

If you use a torrent site which has a forum attached, take the time to say thanks to the poster of the torrent. It only takes a moment.

If no one is seeding, you can't have it. You can also only have what is on offer. This is why you might want to make a request

The speed at which you download is determined by things such as the Seed to Peer ratio, the seed(ers) upload bandwidth and of course your available download bandwidth. Try to download torrents that have lots of seeders and few peers in order to get faster speeds.

REMEMBER - ULTIMATELY YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT OF ANY DOWNLOADS