Your Guide to Configuring and Using BitTorrent

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The BitTorrent protocol has been out in the open for around seven years at present, and in that time it'southward get one of the most popular methods for distributing large files on the Internet. Despite futile efforts by the RIAA and MPAA to shut down file-sharing in all its forms, people both tech-savvy and computer illiterate are using information technology. A few major bands have even released lossless versions of their albums using BitTorrent.

Because and then many of BitTorrent's users are computer illiterate, and given the security features in mod computers and routers that interfere with BitTorrent's speed effectiveness, very few people are actually using this protocol, and its associated applications, to its total potential. Hither's your guide to configuring your BitTorrent customer, computer and router for the all-time possible speeds.

Disclaimer: I practise not support nor endorse illegal downloading of copyrighted content. Respect the rights of the creator; if you're a creator, consider licensing your piece of work under Artistic Commons.

BitTorrent Clients

There are countless BitTorrent clients, including the official multi-platform client from the protocol'south creator, BitComet and uTorrent for Windows and Xtorrent and Tomato Torrent for Mac. I of the most pop clients that besides happens to be cross-platform is Azureus, and it'due south my personal favorite, and so I'll be using Azureus as my guide in writing this tutorial. It's gratuitous and open source.

Configuring Your Router

If yous're on a network (wireless or non) at dwelling, using a router of any kind, yous may be experiencing painstakingly slow downloads. This is considering most routers have born firewalls that block incoming connections on certain ports, and you lot must specifically declare your ports and configure your router to accept connections on them.

Hither'due south how to practise exactly that, assuming fairly standard router settings. If you have a router that doesn't work with these instructions, a scrap of Googling around volition become you the answer.

1. Open your browser and caput to 192.168.one.i – this is well-nigh e'er the router's accost on your network.

2. Log-in using the user name and password you set, or the default which is probably admin for both fields.

iii. Look for a page called port forwarding, port range forwarding or something like.

4. Add together the port range under External Port (for case, 9080 – 9090).

5. Enter your IP address. If y'all're non sure what your IP address is, it's a fairly easy number to find. On Windows:

• Get to the Start Menu, then to Run, and blazon in cmd. Hit Enter.
• Type IPCONFIG. Hit Enter. This will render a few lines of data, one of which will contain your IP accost (conspicuously marked). Go to the router settings and add it in.

On Mac OS X (I'm using 10.5):

• Go to Organization Preferences, and so to Network. Your IP address volition be on this page.

6. Tick the boxes for UDP, TCP and well-nigh importantly, the one that says Enable.

vii. Caput to your BitTorrent customer's preference or options page and enter the port number you've selected in the appropriate fields. At that place volition most likely be one for both UDP and TCP.

Remember to save your router's settings, or you will need to go through this process all once again if it gets reset. It'southward never as fun the second fourth dimension around!

Limit Your Maximum Upload Speed

DSL connections have finite capacity, and if you lot permit your BitTorrent client to utilize an unlimited amount of upload bandwidth, non merely will your download suffer, but your regular surfing, chatting and email use will endure besides. Continue your connection usable and your downloads snappy by setting your maximum upload speed to a sensible level.

Retrieve, BitTorrent depends on each downloader doing some uploading. Never, ever shut uploads off all together, nor beneath a reasonable level. Give back what you have. You should likewise seed for a while one the download is complete – that is, keep uploading even after the download has finished. It's considered proper etiquette to seed until your ratio is at least ane:1 – you've uploaded as much every bit yous've downloaded.

Since the right maximum upload speed will exist different for each connection, you lot'll have to work yours out. Down in the land of wearisome broadband, my torrents have a maximum upload of 18kb/s, and then unlimited when seeding. The correct speed is unremarkably 80% of your upload capability.

Fortunately for you, there's an upload speed figurer here.

Windows XP Specific Configurations

If you're on Windows, configuring your BitTorrent client has its own prepare of problems. First, we'll have to configure the Windows Firewall if you've got it on.

1. Go to Network Connections and right click on your Internet or LAN connection, and click on Properties.

2. Select Advanced and see if Internet Connection Firewall is ticked. If it'south non, you lot don't need to do anything. If it is, click through to Settings.

three. Click on the Services tab and press Add. Fill these fields in only as you did in the router, but choose TCP.

If you're using Internet Connection Sharing, yous'll need to download this tool and configure it using the same information that you lot used when configuring the router and the XP firewall.

If you're on Windows XP Service Pack two, your half-open up outbound connections is severely limited, and this tends to slow your BitTorrent speeds down, also. You tin utilize this tool to fix that trouble.

Protect Your Privacy

In numerous cases, RIAA and MPAA bots have tracked IP addresses of those using BitTorrent and wrongly accused them of piracy. This tin can happen where they rails IP addresses on legitimate and legal torrents, for example. I of the beauties of Azureus is its wide range of plugins and i that will protect your privacy by blocking connections from RIAA and MPAA computers is SafePeer.

If you utilize Azureus, yous'd be wise to download and install this plugin, and keep the block list up to engagement, since the agents of the evil empire are always changing tactics and IP addresses.

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Source: https://www.lifehack.org/articles/featured/your-guide-to-configuring-and-using-bittorrent.html

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