BitTorrent FAQ
This small FAQ explains some of the questions rised by BitTorrent -- the P2P content distribution system.
Contents
What is BitTorrent?
BitTorrent is a content distribution system that distributes the downloads among peer
downloaders. In essence when you're downloading with BitTorrent, you are simultaneously uploading the same file to other downloaders.
Where can I get BitTorrent?
The best client at the moment is
Utorrent.
How do I install the client?
Installing BitTorrent couldn't be simpler. Just download the installer and run it. There will be no icons to be seen in either
Start manu or desktop. BitTorrent associates itself with
.torrent files and launches them automatically when you download or open them.
Why does it take so long to start a big download?
BitTorrent allocates space for the file to be downloaded before actually starting the download. That means that BT writes a "dummy"
file that has the exact size of the file being downloaded, just filled with zeroes.
The file size looks complete, but the download keeps running. Why?
See the question above. The file isn't complete until the transfer meter has reached 100%.
Can I resume an interrupted download?
Yes. Just open the
.torrent again either by double clicking the file on your harddisk, if you saved it there, or clicking the
link again on the web page. Then point the download to the same exact directory you started downloading to -- BitTorrent will automatically
inspect the already downloaded file and resume downloading.
How can I be sure the downloaded file isn't broken?
BitTorrent checks downloaded parts using cryptographic hashing (SHA1). When the download is complete, it is also completely verified
and OK. If it isn't, then the original file was already corrupt.
Why should I leave BitTorrent running after the download?
It's considered a good practice to leave BitTorrent running even after your download is complete -- if everyone closes their downloads
there will be no "seeds", or complete downloaders to download from. Please try and leave the client running atleast until your "share ratio"
is 1.0 or more, i.e. when you have uploaded atleast as much data as you have downloaded.
How can I stop BitTorrent from uploading?
Some clients allow you to adjust the rate at which data is being uploaded to other clients. However there's little point in doing this, since
other BitTorrent clients determine the amount of data you receive by the rate you upload at. If you don't upload at all, your transfers will
slow down to a crawl.
Is BitTorrent safe to use?
Absolutely. It only uploads the file you are downloading. It has no access to your private files, and it doesn't expose your computer or
your private data to the outside world.
Does BitTorrent work through firewall or NAT?
Yes, but it works faster if other peers can connect to you. If you are able to, open ports 6881-6890 in your firewall and/or define port
forwarding from ports 6881-6890 of your NAT box to the corresponding ports on client computer running BitTorrent.
How do I make my own torrents?
Serving files over BitTorrent is a bit more complicated, and won't be covered here. In essence you need a
tracker to announce the
torrent, and a
web server to host the .torrent -file itself.
Where can I find the source code of this site?
This site uses
T-Xore which was developed by
Bogaa.
