BitTorrent (BT) is a peer-to-peer (P2P) communications protocol for file sharing.
Installing a BitTorrent Client
The client that I prefer is the Java-based Azureus, which can be download for free. Some people have say that they couldn’t get this client to download as fast as other clients but for me, I have been able to download at the max of the download bandwidth if given the opportunity. However, the main reason I chose this client is because since it written in Java and must be run inside a JVM, I personally feel that it’s more secure than other Windows-based clients.
Java
Since Azureus is Java-based, then it requires to have Java installed to run to it. You need at least version 1.5 otherwise older version may cause problems. Java can be downloaded at http://www.java.com, and needs to be install first before you install Azureus.
Setting Up
Choosing a Port
If you haven’t already then you’ll need to choose a port for Azureus to listen on. If you chose port 6881 (the default port), then this needs to be changed because some torrent trackers have blacklisted this port.
- In Azureus go to Tools > NAT / Firewall Test
- Enter a port number between 49152 and 65534 in the box beside “Incoming TCP Listen Port”
- Click on the “Test” button
If the test returns:
"Testing port XXXXX ... OK !"
Then you are ready to start downloading. Otherwise if the test returns:
"Testing port XXXXX ... NAT Error"
Then there is a small problem where the listening port is closed and Azureus can’t accept any incoming connections. This will affect your downloading because you are limited to the number of peers you can connect to. Not to worry this a very common problem for most people who have a router or firewall installed. All you need to do is enable port forwarding for your router, or opening the port up for your firewall.
Note: To double check if your port is open you can also use the website Shields UP!
Port Forwarding for Routers
To handle port forwarding your computer needs to be assigned a static local IP address. After you have configured this tell your router to forward the port you selected earlier for both TCP and UDP protocol.
Opening Ports for Firewall
If you have a firewall it might be rejecting connections, even when they reach your computer. If this is the case, you will need to change your firewall settings to either allow the process Azureus.exe complete access to the internet, or allow the port you selected earlier.
Optimizing Connection
The upload limit will affect your connectivity the most. The rule of thumb is to set the limt to 80% of your upload capacity. Here are some sites which you can check your bandwidth on:
If you want to do more optimizing you can use the Azureus upload settings calculator.
Losing internet connectivity after a while
BitTorrent is very network intensive to your router and network card because it needs to manage many connections. I have a Linksys router which is known to have problems with too many global connection. To fix the problem you can limit the max global connections to 200 or less under Tools > Options > Transfer > Max connections globally
Link Summary
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