- Bluetack Forum - BitTorrent Guide
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BitTorrent is a remarkably small and neat piece of Python software engineering with Windows ports,
created by a programmer called Bram Cohen, that addresses several problems that exist on almost all other file- sharing systems.
It refers to both the program as well as the protocol designed for transferring files.
It is peer-to-peer in nature, as users connect to each other directly to send and receive portions of the file.
However, there is a central server (called a tracker) which coordinates the action of all such peers.
The tracker only manages connections, it does not have any knowledge of the contents of the files being distributed,
and therefore a large number of users can be supported with relatively limited tracker bandwidth.
The key philosophy of BitTorrent is that users should upload (transmit outbound) at the same time they are downloading
(receiving inbound.)
In this manner, network bandwidth is utilized as efficiently as possible.
BitTorrent is designed to work better as the number of people interested in a certain file increases,
in contrast to other file transfer protocols.
==============================================================================
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- Bittorrent guides-
- Bittorrent client download links-
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Please read these important faqs/guides first.
- dessent faq - http://www.dessent.net/btfaq/
- smilers links page - http://smiler.no-ip.org/BT/BTlinks.php
- other faqs:
- http://btfaq.com/serve/cache/1.html
- http://www.filesoup.com/faq.html
- http://wiki.theory.org/index.php/BitTorrentFAQ
- http://bitconjurer.org/BitTorrent/FAQ.html
- http://smiler.no-ip.org/BT/BTtutorial.htm
- http://www.anime-source.com/html/modules.p...age&pid=234
- http://www.animeconnection.net/bthelp.html
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BT-sites/link pages:
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- http://www.link2u.tk/
- http://www.lickmytaint.com/
- http://www.filesoup.com/
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maketorrent guide:
- http://www.tk13.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/how.html
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- legal aspects of bittorrent ;
http://www.lickmytaint.com/bt/monduna/faq.html#LEGAL
If you download a bit torrent file , then the tracker and other users will know:
Your IP Address
That you are downloading the file
That you were smart enough to figure out how to download a torrent.
That you have access to a computer and the internet.
None of these are particularly damaging pieces of information.
(You give your IP address to every web site that you visit).
However, if someone were determined enough, they might be able to derive information about you from your IP address
If they had legal reasons, they may even be able to force your ISP to give them more information about you.
But that isn't going to happen, unless you're doing something massively illegal.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/m...sic/3022170.stm
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Download clients links:
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--------------------------
needs updating badly sorry
- - Azureus - http://azureus.sourceforge.net/ *java client*
QUOTE
Azureus users should Download the SAFEPEER Plugin which uses the updated Bluetack/Peerguardian IP blocklists to prevent hostile connections.
- http://azureus.sourceforge.net/plugin_deta...plugin=safepeer
- Utorrent - Low on resources, single executable, no install version available :
http://www.utorrent.com/
- Official client v3.2.1 http://www.bitconjurer.org/BitTorrent/download.html
- Shadow Experimental is now BitTornado http://bittornado.com/
- Burst! http://krypt.dyndns.org:81/torrent/
- Experimental client http://ei.kefro.st/projects/btclient/
- Torrent Trader http://torrenttrader.icezero.org/client.html
- NovaTorrent http://blackflaw.dyndns.org/
- BitAnarch http://sourceforge.net/projects/bitanarch/
- Personal Torrent Collector http://ptc.sourceforge.net/
- Effusion http://www.azrael-uk.f2s.com/az/effusion/ *java client*
- snark http://www.klomp.org/snark/ *java client*
- Jtorrent http://sourceforge.net/projects/jtorrent *java client* *alpha build*
- ByteTorrent http://sourceforge.net/projects/bytetorrent/ *alpha build*
- Shareaza http://www.shareaza.com/
Using BT++ will most probably get you banned form the tracker , it causes errors for others downloading from you.
- BT++ http://btplusplus.sourceforge.net/
(thanks to Wassup for putting this list of clients together. ^ )
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===================================================================
Also read these Bluetack Forum Guides
Firewalls - http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php...hp?showtopic=79
Anti-Trojan - http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php...hp?showtopic=72
Anti-spyware - http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php...hp?showtopic=76
IP Addresses - http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php...hp?showtopic=52
Anonimity - http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php...hp?showtopic=56
Anti-virus - http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php...hp?showtopic=78
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Protocols:
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What are "ports" and "protocols"?
Basically a port is an access channel and a protocol is a standardized way for computers to exchange information.
Your computer must send and receive data to participate on the Internet.
The data is sent and received by software that usually comes with your computer.
This software automatically organizes the data to be sent into packets.
These packets are made in a standardized way (a protocol) so other computers can recognize them as data.
Similar software is used at the receiving computer to automatically join the packets so the original message is duplicated.
The Internet is constructed so many different routes can be taken by the data traveling on it.
In this way, if part of a route is too busy or breaks down then the packets are simply sent on another route.
This routing is handled by equipment called routers, which are located throughout the Internet.
Each data packet is routed independently so a message broken into 10 packets could take 10 totally different routes over the Internet.
Routers know which computer on the Internet a packet is supposed to be sent to because each packet contains that computer's address,
very similar to a letter going through the post office.
Your computer has different ports or channels for this data.
These ports are given standardized numbers so one port is used to send data and another port receives data.
In this way, the packets of data coming into and going out of your computer don't collide or get confused.
The port number is included as part of the address a packet is given.
Ports can have numbers from 1 to 65535.
Prior to version 3.2, BitTorrent by default uses ports in the range of 6881-6889.
As of 3.2 and later, the range has been extended to 6881-6999. (These are all TCP ports, BitTorrent does not use UDP.)
The client starts with the lowest port in the range and sequentially tries higher ports until it can find one to which it can bind.
This means that the first client you open will bind to 6881, the next to 6882, etc.
Therefore, you only really need to open as many ports as simultaneous BitTorrent clients you would ever have open.
For most people it's sufficient to open 6881-6889.
However you will get better speeds if you allow incoming connections as well.
To do this you must use the "port forwarding" feature of whatever is performing the NAT/gateway task.
For example, if you have a cable or DSL connection and a router/switch/gateway/firewall, you will need to go into the configuration of this device and forward ports 6881-6889 to the local machine that will be using BitTorrent.
If your device makes it hard to enter a range of ports (if you must enter each one separately), then you can just do the first 10 or so ports,
or however many simultaneous clients you plan to ever have open.
If more than one person behind such a gateway wishes to use BitTorrent, then each machine should use a different port range,
and the gateway should be configured to forward each port range to the corresponding local machine.
- Update 2007 /
ISP's are actively throttling BitTorrent protocol and protocol encryption has been introduced to many of the better BT clients to try and counteract this. You should use a client that supports protocol encryption, especially if you notice your speeds are not what they should be.
Some sites will penalise you for using default BT port ranges [ 6881-6889 etc] , so using a port range higher than 50000 is generally recommended. [ limit is port 65535 ]
A good site with a wide range port forwading router guides is, yep - http://www.portforward.com/ .. go there.
=========================================================================
I just installed BitTorrent but whenever I click on a link I just get a small file and nothing happens?
Try closing and restarting your web browser.
When BitTorrent installs, it registers a new MIME-Type (application/x-bittorrent)
and this change will not take effect until the next time the web browser is opened.
Also it is a good habit to right click the torrent file and save it to your hard-drive and doubleclick on it from there.
this will allow you to restart the torrent if you need to and you wont have to return to the original site where you first downloaded it from.
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Error messages: http://www.dessent.net/btfaq/cmdline.shtml
http://btfaq.com/serve/cache/35.html
I'm getting an error message, what does it mean?
The best thing to do in general if you're having connectivity problems is just wait.
Often trackers are unavailable or slow to respond, usually due to high load or sometimes DDoS attacks.
Some torrents can take a while to get up to speed, so patience is a virtue.
That being said, below are some common error messages with explanations and what to do about them.
QUOTE
Note: Often you will get a red error message when there's a problem connecting to the tracker, but the client will keep on retrying.
This is normal. It can result in the download progressing normally and successfully, even with an error message displayed on the screen.
Make sure to note the time-stamp on the error, and if it's more than 5 to 10 minutes old, you can ignore it.
The newer versions of the experimental client "age away" the error messages after 5 minutes to deal with this situation.
This is normal. It can result in the download progressing normally and successfully, even with an error message displayed on the screen.
Make sure to note the time-stamp on the error, and if it's more than 5 to 10 minutes old, you can ignore it.
The newer versions of the experimental client "age away" the error messages after 5 minutes to deal with this situation.
QUOTE
Problem getting response info - [Errno 2] No such file or directory: "C:\\Documents and Settings..."
For some reason, Internet Explorer sometimes doesn't save the torrent file in the Temporary Internet Files directory properly.
The solution seems to be to right click on the link and choose Save As..., and save the torrent file to disk,
and then double-click the file to launch the client.
Clearing the IE cache seems to help if this problem is recurring. It seems to be related to torrent files with square brackets
(']' and '[') in the filename.
Too many args - 0 max.
This error in indicative of a bad command line.
See the FAQ section How do I change the command line parameters in Windows? and ensure that the arguments
to the BitTorrent program include --responsefile "%1".
A piece failed hash check, re-downloading it
This is a benign message, you can safely ignore it.
It means that you received a piece of the file that didn't check out as being correct, so it will be downloaded again.
Probable cause of this might be someone incorrectly using the "skip hash check" option.
If this option is incorrectly used on a not-yet complete file, the client will send pieces to its peers
that are not correct and fail the built-in hash checking routines meant to catch such errors.
bad data from tracker -
Usually you can ignore this, it seems to happen when the tracker is overloaded or otherwise flaky.
Problem connecting to tracker - timeout exceeded
Problem connecting to tracker - HTTP Error 503: Connect failed
Problem connecting to tracker - [Errno socket error] (10061, "Connection refused")
Problem connecting to tracker - (111, 'Connection refused')
There was a problem contacting the tracker. Trackers tend to be heavily loaded, and connections sometimes fail.
The best thing to do is just be patient and leave the client open.
If you find you're getting this a lot, you can try increasing the HTTP request timeout by adding the parameter "--http_timeout 120"
(the default is 60, unit is seconds.)
See the FAQ section How do I change the command line parameters in Windows? if you need help doing this.
Problem connecting to tracker - HTTP Error 400: Not Authorized
This indicates that the administrators of this tracker are not allowing it to be used for this torrent.
Some trackers will only track torrents that are also posted in their forums/website, for example.
Usually this indicates a stale torrent -- try going to the web site associated with the tracker and see if you can find an updated torrent.
Problem connecting to tracker - HTTP Error 404: Not Found
Probably a stale torrent. Try to find a new link to the torrent.
Problem connecting to tracker - HTTP Error 407: Proxy Authentication Required
You may need to configure a username and password for your proxy server setting in order to contact the tracker.
See the section Can I use BitTorrent with a proxy server? for details.
Problem connecting to tracker Errno socket error (10061,'Connection refused')
Problem connecting to tracker - (10060, 'Operation timed out')
Looks like a transient error due to tracker load. Could also be related to your firewall/router setup, but that is not the case for me.
I am attempting to let the download continue even though I'm hitting this error.
I still have some incoming bits, so it isn't completely fatal.
I don't know if I've stopped getting updated info about other clients, though.
Hard to say if my connection speed will peak properly without restarting the download until I finish trying.
BT will keep retrying the tracker every five minutes. However, it failed to do so.
Canceling and restarting the download was far more successful.
I recommend doing this, as you can resume a partial download with no problem.
Problem connecting to tracker Errno socket error (7' getaddrinfo failed')
had this Problem with Win2K using the TinyFirewall and a proxy in my windows internet settings.
I disabled TinyFW and it does not work either.
So I removed the proxy settings out of my windows internet settings.
Now it finally works fine.
Bad data from tracker
Couldn't listen - (48, 'Address already in use')
Problem connecting to tracker = (10054, 'Connection reset be peer')
Problem connecting to tracker = (10055, 'Out of buffer space')
Problem connecting to tracker = (10055, 'Out of buffer space')
Appears after the download has been running for some time.
Appears more often if multiple BitTorrent downloads are happenning at once.
When it occurs, no other application is able to access the network.
Downloading / Uploading appears to continue at the normal, or a slightly reduced, rate.
Restarting the download cures the problem.
This error is caused because of a Winsock error of the same number:
http://www.proxyplus.cz/faq/articles/EN/art10002.htm]
It may be possible to edit the MSTCP settings
(see http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/ar.../Q158/4/74.ASP) to fix this.
For some reason, Internet Explorer sometimes doesn't save the torrent file in the Temporary Internet Files directory properly.
The solution seems to be to right click on the link and choose Save As..., and save the torrent file to disk,
and then double-click the file to launch the client.
Clearing the IE cache seems to help if this problem is recurring. It seems to be related to torrent files with square brackets
(']' and '[') in the filename.
Too many args - 0 max.
This error in indicative of a bad command line.
See the FAQ section How do I change the command line parameters in Windows? and ensure that the arguments
to the BitTorrent program include --responsefile "%1".
A piece failed hash check, re-downloading it
This is a benign message, you can safely ignore it.
It means that you received a piece of the file that didn't check out as being correct, so it will be downloaded again.
Probable cause of this might be someone incorrectly using the "skip hash check" option.
If this option is incorrectly used on a not-yet complete file, the client will send pieces to its peers
that are not correct and fail the built-in hash checking routines meant to catch such errors.
bad data from tracker -
Usually you can ignore this, it seems to happen when the tracker is overloaded or otherwise flaky.
Problem connecting to tracker - timeout exceeded
Problem connecting to tracker - HTTP Error 503: Connect failed
Problem connecting to tracker - [Errno socket error] (10061, "Connection refused")
Problem connecting to tracker - (111, 'Connection refused')
There was a problem contacting the tracker. Trackers tend to be heavily loaded, and connections sometimes fail.
The best thing to do is just be patient and leave the client open.
If you find you're getting this a lot, you can try increasing the HTTP request timeout by adding the parameter "--http_timeout 120"
(the default is 60, unit is seconds.)
See the FAQ section How do I change the command line parameters in Windows? if you need help doing this.
Problem connecting to tracker - HTTP Error 400: Not Authorized
This indicates that the administrators of this tracker are not allowing it to be used for this torrent.
Some trackers will only track torrents that are also posted in their forums/website, for example.
Usually this indicates a stale torrent -- try going to the web site associated with the tracker and see if you can find an updated torrent.
Problem connecting to tracker - HTTP Error 404: Not Found
Probably a stale torrent. Try to find a new link to the torrent.
Problem connecting to tracker - HTTP Error 407: Proxy Authentication Required
You may need to configure a username and password for your proxy server setting in order to contact the tracker.
See the section Can I use BitTorrent with a proxy server? for details.
Problem connecting to tracker Errno socket error (10061,'Connection refused')
Problem connecting to tracker - (10060, 'Operation timed out')
Looks like a transient error due to tracker load. Could also be related to your firewall/router setup, but that is not the case for me.
I am attempting to let the download continue even though I'm hitting this error.
I still have some incoming bits, so it isn't completely fatal.
I don't know if I've stopped getting updated info about other clients, though.
Hard to say if my connection speed will peak properly without restarting the download until I finish trying.
BT will keep retrying the tracker every five minutes. However, it failed to do so.
Canceling and restarting the download was far more successful.
I recommend doing this, as you can resume a partial download with no problem.
Problem connecting to tracker Errno socket error (7' getaddrinfo failed')
had this Problem with Win2K using the TinyFirewall and a proxy in my windows internet settings.
I disabled TinyFW and it does not work either.
So I removed the proxy settings out of my windows internet settings.
Now it finally works fine.
Bad data from tracker
Couldn't listen - (48, 'Address already in use')
Problem connecting to tracker = (10054, 'Connection reset be peer')
Problem connecting to tracker = (10055, 'Out of buffer space')
Problem connecting to tracker = (10055, 'Out of buffer space')
Appears after the download has been running for some time.
Appears more often if multiple BitTorrent downloads are happenning at once.
When it occurs, no other application is able to access the network.
Downloading / Uploading appears to continue at the normal, or a slightly reduced, rate.
Restarting the download cures the problem.
This error is caused because of a Winsock error of the same number:
http://www.proxyplus.cz/faq/articles/EN/art10002.htm]
It may be possible to edit the MSTCP settings
(see http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/ar.../Q158/4/74.ASP) to fix this.
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===================================================
What are the command line parameters for BitTorrent?
The command line arguments accepted by the Python client (and its derivatives) are as follows:
QUOTE
--max_uploads <arg>
the maximum number of uploads to allow at once. (defaults to 4)
Note that this does not affect the number of connections, only the number of simultaneous unchoked uploads.
--keepalive_interval <arg>
number of seconds to pause between sending keepalives (defaults to 120.0)
--download_slice_size <arg>
How many bytes to query for per request. (defaults to 16384)
--request_backlog <arg>
how many requests to keep in a single pipe at once. (defaults to 5)
--max_message_length <arg>
maximum length prefix encoding you'll accept over the wire - larger values get the connection dropped. (defaults to 8388608)
--ip/-i <arg>
ip to report you have to the tracker. (defaults to '')
--minport <arg>
minimum port to listen on, counts up if unavailable (defaults to 6881)
--maxport <arg>
maximum port to listen on (defaults to 6999)
--responsefile <arg>
file the server response was stored in, alternative to url (defaults to '')
--url <arg>
url to get file from, alternative to responsefile (defaults to '')
--saveas <arg>
local file name to save the file as, null indicates query user (defaults to '')
--timeout <arg>
time to wait between closing sockets which nothing has been received on (defaults to 300.0)
--timeout_check_interval <arg>
time to wait between checking if any connections have timed out (defaults to 60.0)
--max_slice_length <arg>
maximum length slice to send to peers, larger requests are ignored (defaults to 131072)
--max_rate_period <arg>
maximum amount of time to guess the current rate estimate represents (defaults to 20.0)
--bind <arg>
ip to bind to locally (defaults to '')
--upload_rate_fudge <arg>
time equivalent of writing to kernel-level TCP buffer, for rate adjustment (defaults to 5.0)
--display_interval <arg>
time between updates of displayed information (defaults to 0.5)
--rerequest_interval <arg>
time to wait between requesting more peers (defaults to 300)
--min_peers <arg>
minimum number of peers to not do rerequesting (defaults to 20)
--http_timeout <arg>
number of seconds to wait before assuming that an http connection has timed out (defaults to 60)
--max_initiate <arg>
number of peers at which to stop initiating new connections (defaults to 40)
--check_hashes <arg>
whether to check hashes on disk (defaults to 1)
--max_upload_rate <arg>
maximum kB/s to upload at, 0 means no limit (defaults to 0)
--alloc_pause <arg>
seconds to wait before displaying allocation feedback (defaults to 3.0)
--snub_time <arg>
seconds to wait for data to come in over a connection before assuming it's semi-permanently choked (defaults to 60.0)
--spew <arg>
whether to display diagnostic info to stdout (defaults to 0)
The available arguments for the Python tracker (bttrack.py) are:
--port <arg>
port to listen on. (defaults to 80)
--dfile <arg>
file to store recent downloader info in (this is a REQUIRED parameter)
--bind <arg>
ip to bind to locally (defaults to '')
--socket_timeout <arg>
timeout for closing connections (defaults to 15)
--save_dfile_interval <arg>
seconds between saving dfile (defaults to 300)
--timeout_downloaders_interval <arg>
seconds between expiring downloaders (defaults to 2700)
--reannounce_interval <arg>
seconds downloaders should wait between reannouncements (defaults to 1800)
--response_size <arg>
number of peers to send in an info message (defaults to 50)
--timeout_check_interval <arg>
time to wait between checking if any connections have timed out (defaults to 5)
--nat_check <arg>
whether to check back and ban downloaders behind NAT (defaults to 1)
--min_time_between_log_flushes <arg>
minimum time it must have been since the last flush to do another one (defaults to 3.0)
--allowed_dir <arg>
only allow downloads for .torrents in this dir (defaults to '')
--parse_allowed_interval <arg>
minutes between reloading of allowed_dir (defaults to 15)
--show_names <arg>
whether to display names from allowed dir (defaults to 1)
--favicon <arg>
file containing x-icon data to return when browser requests favicon.ico (defaults to '')
--only_local_override_ip <arg>
ignore the ip GET parameter from machines which aren't on local network IPs (defaults to 1)
--logfile <arg>
file to write the tracker logs, use - for stdout (default) (defaults to '')
--allow_get <arg>
use with allowed_dir; adds a /file?hash={hash} url that allows users to download the torrent file (defaults to 0)
--keep_dead <arg>
keep dead torrents after they expire (so they still show up on your /scrape and web page) (defaults to 0)
--max_give <arg>
maximum number of peers to give with any one request (defaults to 200)
the maximum number of uploads to allow at once. (defaults to 4)
Note that this does not affect the number of connections, only the number of simultaneous unchoked uploads.
--keepalive_interval <arg>
number of seconds to pause between sending keepalives (defaults to 120.0)
--download_slice_size <arg>
How many bytes to query for per request. (defaults to 16384)
--request_backlog <arg>
how many requests to keep in a single pipe at once. (defaults to 5)
--max_message_length <arg>
maximum length prefix encoding you'll accept over the wire - larger values get the connection dropped. (defaults to 8388608)
--ip/-i <arg>
ip to report you have to the tracker. (defaults to '')
--minport <arg>
minimum port to listen on, counts up if unavailable (defaults to 6881)
--maxport <arg>
maximum port to listen on (defaults to 6999)
--responsefile <arg>
file the server response was stored in, alternative to url (defaults to '')
--url <arg>
url to get file from, alternative to responsefile (defaults to '')
--saveas <arg>
local file name to save the file as, null indicates query user (defaults to '')
--timeout <arg>
time to wait between closing sockets which nothing has been received on (defaults to 300.0)
--timeout_check_interval <arg>
time to wait between checking if any connections have timed out (defaults to 60.0)
--max_slice_length <arg>
maximum length slice to send to peers, larger requests are ignored (defaults to 131072)
--max_rate_period <arg>
maximum amount of time to guess the current rate estimate represents (defaults to 20.0)
--bind <arg>
ip to bind to locally (defaults to '')
--upload_rate_fudge <arg>
time equivalent of writing to kernel-level TCP buffer, for rate adjustment (defaults to 5.0)
--display_interval <arg>
time between updates of displayed information (defaults to 0.5)
--rerequest_interval <arg>
time to wait between requesting more peers (defaults to 300)
--min_peers <arg>
minimum number of peers to not do rerequesting (defaults to 20)
--http_timeout <arg>
number of seconds to wait before assuming that an http connection has timed out (defaults to 60)
--max_initiate <arg>
number of peers at which to stop initiating new connections (defaults to 40)
--check_hashes <arg>
whether to check hashes on disk (defaults to 1)
--max_upload_rate <arg>
maximum kB/s to upload at, 0 means no limit (defaults to 0)
--alloc_pause <arg>
seconds to wait before displaying allocation feedback (defaults to 3.0)
--snub_time <arg>
seconds to wait for data to come in over a connection before assuming it's semi-permanently choked (defaults to 60.0)
--spew <arg>
whether to display diagnostic info to stdout (defaults to 0)
The available arguments for the Python tracker (bttrack.py) are:
--port <arg>
port to listen on. (defaults to 80)
--dfile <arg>
file to store recent downloader info in (this is a REQUIRED parameter)
--bind <arg>
ip to bind to locally (defaults to '')
--socket_timeout <arg>
timeout for closing connections (defaults to 15)
--save_dfile_interval <arg>
seconds between saving dfile (defaults to 300)
--timeout_downloaders_interval <arg>
seconds between expiring downloaders (defaults to 2700)
--reannounce_interval <arg>
seconds downloaders should wait between reannouncements (defaults to 1800)
--response_size <arg>
number of peers to send in an info message (defaults to 50)
--timeout_check_interval <arg>
time to wait between checking if any connections have timed out (defaults to 5)
--nat_check <arg>
whether to check back and ban downloaders behind NAT (defaults to 1)
--min_time_between_log_flushes <arg>
minimum time it must have been since the last flush to do another one (defaults to 3.0)
--allowed_dir <arg>
only allow downloads for .torrents in this dir (defaults to '')
--parse_allowed_interval <arg>
minutes between reloading of allowed_dir (defaults to 15)
--show_names <arg>
whether to display names from allowed dir (defaults to 1)
--favicon <arg>
file containing x-icon data to return when browser requests favicon.ico (defaults to '')
--only_local_override_ip <arg>
ignore the ip GET parameter from machines which aren't on local network IPs (defaults to 1)
--logfile <arg>
file to write the tracker logs, use - for stdout (default) (defaults to '')
--allow_get <arg>
use with allowed_dir; adds a /file?hash={hash} url that allows users to download the torrent file (defaults to 0)
--keep_dead <arg>
keep dead torrents after they expire (so they still show up on your /scrape and web page) (defaults to 0)
--max_give <arg>
maximum number of peers to give with any one request (defaults to 200)
The rest of the FAQ is continued on the main page.
http://www.dessent.net/btfaq/cmdline.shtml
===================================================================
QUOTE
P2P hide-and-seek
By John Borland
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
July 23, 2003, 4:00 AM PT
A new technology, anointed by many tech-savvy computer users as an answer to file swapping's network traffic jams, is running into legal and practical problems as it breaks into the mainstream.
Visitors to several of the most popular sites serving as hubs for BitTorrent file downloads last week found them gone, with explanatory messages variously citing legal threats from copyright holders, denial-of-service attacks and simple overloaded bandwidth.
The phenomenon may prove a stumbling block to a technology that many in the online world have quickly adopted as the super-efficient answer to the kinds of slowdowns and download queues that are common with more popular services such as Kazaa or Morpheus.
But the issues come as no surprise to the technology's creator, independent San Francisco programmer Bram Cohen, who says his work is badly designed for anyone who wants to trade copyrighted works without being identified.
"Distributing stuff that is clearly illegal with BitTorrent is a really dumb idea," said Cohen, who advocates using the software to distribute large uncopyrighted files such as open-source programs. "BitTorrent doesn't have any anonymity features. There are things about it that make it very incompatible with anonymity."
The recent flurry of sites popping up and down in the BitTorrent-based file-trading scene spotlights a moment of technological and cultural transition in the online world. Pressure from copyright holders is pushing traditional file-swappers to look for networks with more privacy to avoid lawsuits. At the same time developers are creating ways around the inefficiencies of the older networks.
The two goals can work at odds, as increases in privacy often come at some cost in ease of use or efficiency.
Bits and pieces
BitTorrent has caught on in recent months with people looking to trade large files online, whether legal or unauthorized. More efficient than older file-swapping programs such as Kazaa or Morpheus, it has become a particular favorite for people seeking video files such as films or TV shows.
The technology essentially works by cutting each large file into many tiny pieces. Computer users downloading a film, for example, receive the large file piece by piece, and in turn become separate distribution hubs for each individual piece as they receive it.
Unlike Kazaa or Napster, the software does not have a search function, which makes it more difficult to find any specific file. Instead, links into the BitTorrent system are posted on Web pages. Those links point to a "tracker," a piece of software that keeps tabs on various hosts for a given file and its components, and that directs surfers to somebody else's computer for copying.
That distribution system, while not as simple to use as Kazaa, has made for speedy downloads. It's also provided copyright authorities with a simple way to shut down popular nodes on the BitTorrent networks, however.
One of the most popular sites offering links to a huge array of movies, music and software, called Torrentse.cx, disappeared in the middle of last week. Visitors were temporarily greeted with a note saying that the site's operators had "received a cease and desist letter during the day of Wednesday, July 16, 2003 for copyright infringement." The site would not be revived, the note said.
A spokesperson for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) said that organization had not yet issued any cease-and-desist letters for BitTorrent sites.
An attorney for the Motion Picture Association, which has also issued large numbers of warnings to Web sites and file traders, could not immediately be reached for comment. (b@st@rds)
Another hugely popular site, Austria-based Bytemonsoon.com, closed earlier last week, citing denial-of-service attacks and mounting bandwidth charges.
"Sorry to everyone for this, but I have no other choice," said a message on a public BitTorrent-themed discussion board attributed to the site's owner. "I wish I could keep it up, it's been really great, even though it's been a constant struggle."
All of this takes place as the legal stakes are growing higher daily for Net file swappers.
Recently, the RIAA pledged to sue individuals who infringe copyrights, and it won a court order, using a controversial, fast-track subpoena procedure, forcing Verizon Communications to divulge the identity of a Kazaa user. The RIAA has already filed suit against four university students, and some schools have disciplined students for inappropriate file swapping.
Following the Verizon decision, the RIAA began sending out hundreds of subpoenas to Internet service providers and colleges for information about individual computer users. The information gathered will be used to file what could be thousands of lawsuit, association officials have said.
According to the circuit court serving as a clearinghouse for the RIAA subpoenas, close to 900 subpoenas had been filed as of late last week.
Close to 300 more per week are expected for months to come.
http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-5051627.ht...ag=fd_lede1_hed
By John Borland
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
July 23, 2003, 4:00 AM PT
A new technology, anointed by many tech-savvy computer users as an answer to file swapping's network traffic jams, is running into legal and practical problems as it breaks into the mainstream.
Visitors to several of the most popular sites serving as hubs for BitTorrent file downloads last week found them gone, with explanatory messages variously citing legal threats from copyright holders, denial-of-service attacks and simple overloaded bandwidth.
The phenomenon may prove a stumbling block to a technology that many in the online world have quickly adopted as the super-efficient answer to the kinds of slowdowns and download queues that are common with more popular services such as Kazaa or Morpheus.
But the issues come as no surprise to the technology's creator, independent San Francisco programmer Bram Cohen, who says his work is badly designed for anyone who wants to trade copyrighted works without being identified.
"Distributing stuff that is clearly illegal with BitTorrent is a really dumb idea," said Cohen, who advocates using the software to distribute large uncopyrighted files such as open-source programs. "BitTorrent doesn't have any anonymity features. There are things about it that make it very incompatible with anonymity."
The recent flurry of sites popping up and down in the BitTorrent-based file-trading scene spotlights a moment of technological and cultural transition in the online world. Pressure from copyright holders is pushing traditional file-swappers to look for networks with more privacy to avoid lawsuits. At the same time developers are creating ways around the inefficiencies of the older networks.
The two goals can work at odds, as increases in privacy often come at some cost in ease of use or efficiency.
Bits and pieces
BitTorrent has caught on in recent months with people looking to trade large files online, whether legal or unauthorized. More efficient than older file-swapping programs such as Kazaa or Morpheus, it has become a particular favorite for people seeking video files such as films or TV shows.
The technology essentially works by cutting each large file into many tiny pieces. Computer users downloading a film, for example, receive the large file piece by piece, and in turn become separate distribution hubs for each individual piece as they receive it.
Unlike Kazaa or Napster, the software does not have a search function, which makes it more difficult to find any specific file. Instead, links into the BitTorrent system are posted on Web pages. Those links point to a "tracker," a piece of software that keeps tabs on various hosts for a given file and its components, and that directs surfers to somebody else's computer for copying.
That distribution system, while not as simple to use as Kazaa, has made for speedy downloads. It's also provided copyright authorities with a simple way to shut down popular nodes on the BitTorrent networks, however.
One of the most popular sites offering links to a huge array of movies, music and software, called Torrentse.cx, disappeared in the middle of last week. Visitors were temporarily greeted with a note saying that the site's operators had "received a cease and desist letter during the day of Wednesday, July 16, 2003 for copyright infringement." The site would not be revived, the note said.
A spokesperson for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) said that organization had not yet issued any cease-and-desist letters for BitTorrent sites.
An attorney for the Motion Picture Association, which has also issued large numbers of warnings to Web sites and file traders, could not immediately be reached for comment. (b@st@rds)
Another hugely popular site, Austria-based Bytemonsoon.com, closed earlier last week, citing denial-of-service attacks and mounting bandwidth charges.
"Sorry to everyone for this, but I have no other choice," said a message on a public BitTorrent-themed discussion board attributed to the site's owner. "I wish I could keep it up, it's been really great, even though it's been a constant struggle."
All of this takes place as the legal stakes are growing higher daily for Net file swappers.
Recently, the RIAA pledged to sue individuals who infringe copyrights, and it won a court order, using a controversial, fast-track subpoena procedure, forcing Verizon Communications to divulge the identity of a Kazaa user. The RIAA has already filed suit against four university students, and some schools have disciplined students for inappropriate file swapping.
Following the Verizon decision, the RIAA began sending out hundreds of subpoenas to Internet service providers and colleges for information about individual computer users. The information gathered will be used to file what could be thousands of lawsuit, association officials have said.
According to the circuit court serving as a clearinghouse for the RIAA subpoenas, close to 900 subpoenas had been filed as of late last week.
Close to 300 more per week are expected for months to come.
http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-5051627.ht...ag=fd_lede1_hed
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