Dan was asking me the other day about BitTorrent and how to use it. This is pretty strange coming from a guy used to getting his files from IRC servers.
The problem with IRC servers is that they use these crazy queues. If you happen to find a server in an IRC channel, which is difficult in itself, there is an unusual array of hoop-jumping you must perform to even get in a queue for a download. And even after you get there, there’s no guarantee that it’s going to work flawlessly enough to succeed. Really, BitTorrent is a better alternative.
Sure, you have to wait for the files to trickle down to the BT trackers, but it’s a whole lot easier than searching out the elusive IRC trader. Although I guess you might still need some instruction, so here goes.
First thing you’ll need is a good BT client. There are qutie a few out there, and some are more popular than others.
Azureus is a very popular client, and it seems very feature-rich. My main problem with Azureus, and why I won’t use it, is that it’s written in Java, and requires a Java VM, and all that implies. I’m not a fan of Java at all, if you couldn’t tell.
Also, when I was trying my copy of Azureus, I had installed a plugin that was supposed to make my connection “more safe” from the likes of evil folks like the RIAA. (This is not to say that I was pirating anything, but these days using BT seems to imply that you’re up to no good, and I’d rather not be sued if I can avoid it.) Anyway, the plugin caused Azureus not to load. Rather than trying to figure out what went wrong, it was easier to move on to a client that “just worked”.
I’ve been using ABC Torrent for longer than any other client. I like the features it has and simplified interface it offers. One of the nice things about ABC Torrent is that you can set a limit for the amount of upload you want to go out. By way of explanation, perhaps it’s time for a quick BT lesson.
Typically when you’re using Bit Torrent, you download a small .torrent file for the larger file or set of files that your want to download. This .torrent file essentially tells your client where to look for other people who have the files you want. You exchange pieces of that file with them directly. The more pieces you share, the more pieces others offer to you.
The basic idea behind BT file sharing is that after you’ve downloaded the entire file, you leave your client connected so that others can download those parts from you. It’s usually recommended that you allow people to download at least as much from you as you did from them. This is a 1:1 ratio, and it’s a polite way to use BitTorrent.
ABC lets you set the ratio you want to use before you cut off other people’s ability to download from you. I typically set this value at 500%, which is a 1:5 ratio. I download one copy and allow others to download 5 copies from me. Other clients may let you do this, but I imagine that there are many clients that don’t, and this is one feature I really like about ABC Torrent since I don’t have to monitor the torrent to shut it off at an appropriate time.
Note that my phone is VoIP, and BT can affect the sound quality when it’s really chugging along. If I leave BT running to an infinite ratio, then Berta will complain when she can’t hear calls and can’t log into my computer to disable Bit Torrent. Setting a ratio allows it to turn off automatically.
There is another torrent client that I wanted to mention, µtorrent. µtorrent (also known as “utorrent”) is noteworthy in that it’s 91kb. Read that again - 91kb. It’s also got a slick interface that’s on par with ABC Torrent, and actually provides data that’s a lot more readable. It includes visualizations of how each piece is being transferred, a speed graph, and a list of all the files in the torrent (along with the ability to specify distinct files that should not be downloaded!).
Network-wise it’s interesting because µtorrent supports UPnP under Windows XP, which would allow it to interact with your firewall. This is good because if your network firewall (through your router) doesn’t forward the required ports to your system, then you will not be able to use any BitTorrent client on your system.
At work, for example, I can’t use BitTorrent at all. I know you’re thinking that I shouldn’t be downloading “that kind of stuff” at work, but many Linux distributions are provided via torrent, which is significantly faster than just downloading from a single site. If the router at work supported UPnP (it’s an old Cisco - it doesn’t), then I would be able to use µtorrent to download torrents. At your house, your newer home-based router will probably support UPnP.
Assuming it doesn’t, you’ll have to check the preferences in your client for the incoming network port and ensure that traffic on this port is forwarded to the computer on which your client is installed.
After you’ve installed a client and configured your router properly to forward BitTorrent traffic to your system, you’ll need a tracker.
There are a ton of trackers out there. Some of them are specialized, some aggregate from other trackers, and some (most) just have everything. Public trackers are not the most reliable in terms of timely releases, but things eventually trickle down. If you can, become a member of a private tracker site, and you’ll have access to newer files faster, often pre-screened and rated for quality. A private tracker can make all the difference in getting high-availability torrents, but be sure that you follow their sharing rules or they will ban you. Specifically, you may be required to share on specific ports or with specific software, and you will definitely be required to maintain a certain ratio unless you want to be inflicted with download delays or other restrictions.
You’ll find that most tracker sites are English-friendly but not English-only. Expect to see some Swedish since Sweden seems to be a haven from the powers-that-be who shut down popular torrent sites.
If you’re looking for some tracker sites, I recommend legaltorrents.com or bt.etree.org. If you’re looking for warez trackers, an odd Google search should return excellent results.
If you’re still confuzzled, you might want to check out a book, BitTorrent for Dummies.
