PTC 1. The next step.

[livio]

I know how torrents are supposed to work, but as to creating a torrent and having trackers and stuff... too much headache for me.

Right. I'll wait for further instructions. At the end of this story we'll all know something more about torrents
livio

[Uppsala BildTeknik]

The new ones are online now, they have NEW in the filename, to mark them as the new files. But that doesen´t matter, it seems. I was supposed to upload something too (all the original files I guess?), but I haven´t uploaded anything to any tracker sites (I thought I was supposed to share them from my computer, not from another server somewhere). So the torrents are not working.

Someone who have created torrents and who knows what they are doing can contact me and give me a FTP adress.l I can upload all the original files to them and they can create torrents that are working.

Apparently, I am no good at creating torrents. Not sure if that is a good or a bad thing. 8) (well, this time it is a bad thing, obviously...)

[christoph]

a torrent really only works well if you use a tracker to share the .torrent file.
from http://www.utorrent.com/documentation/make-a-torrent

The Tracker

A tracker is an application or script on a system that relays connection information about peers on a given torrent. However, it is most important since without it BitTorrent clients would not know how to find other clients sharing the same files. µTorrent knows which tracker to contact by reading the announce URL in the torrent. Trackers generally look like any other internet address (http//somewebaddress:portnumber/announce). If you need a tracker you may:

* Check the site where you wish to upload the torrent.
* Private sites usually provide their own tracker.
* Public sites may also provide their own tracker, or include the URL of generic ones.
* In a pinch, look at the properties of a torrent you have downloaded from the site you wish to use and copy the tracker from there (but in such a case wait to test the torrent out before uploading it to the site as even those tracker may require you to have registered the torrent with them first).

µTorrent supports HTTP and HTTPS (SSL) trackers. UDP trackers are not supported. µTorrent also supports torrents with multiple trackers; trackers from the same server (with similar URLs) must be grouped together and those from different servers separated by a blank line.

µTorrent contains an "embedded tracker" intended for people wishing to share with a small group for a short period of time. This should not be used for sharing torrent over public or private sites, but only for private stuff and over short periods of time (along the lines of family movies shared with friends and such).

* The embedded tracker URL is: http://your_ip_address:port/announce (where your ip is your computer's ip address and port is µTorrent's listening port)
* The embedded tracker must be enabled in: µTorrent menu > options > preferences > Advanced > bt.enable_tracker: set to "true".

Warning: Using the embedded tracker requires you to have the same IP address and the same port as long as the torrent is active. This means if you use a dynamic IP and randomized port and get disconnected from the internet, your IP and port will get reset, and the torrent will die.

and

Making your Torrent Available to Others

The most common way to do this is to upload it to a torrent site. If this was your intention you should have read up on the site's policies, rules and procedures of that site before uploading.
Uploading the .torrent

1. Using your web browser, go to the site (log in if needed).
2. Navigate your way to the upload page, and follow the instructions provided.
3. Some sites allow you to add comments and descriptions. Try to put something you would find useful as a peer.

Do not panic if the torrent just sits there without uploading, it may take a while for other people to notice the torrent and start downloading it. It may take longer if the content is something obscure with limited appeal.

sharing 20GB over a webserver with more then like 5 people could well result in either high charges of your webhost or canceling their service at worst (costs them more money than they make of you).

++ c.

ps: you dont have to upload the media files, only the .torrent files. but you need to use a tracker server and enter the tracker url while creating the .torrent files. as mentioned, it's best to do this with a small file for a test first.

[etimh]

What a nightmare. If no one wants them, can I just have the actual films? I know my projector works.

Tim

[Uppsala BildTeknik]

..sharing 20GB over a webserver with more then like 5 people could well result in either high charges...

I have free download and upload, so it shouldn´t matter.

..you dont have to upload the media files, only the .torrent files...

You have the .torrentfiles in the zip file. Use the new torrent files (they are on the exact same location as the first, in the zip file). You upload them somewhere.

...but you need to use a tracker server and enter the tracker url while creating the .torrent files.

I did this. I pasted all these urls as trackers when I created the new torrent files:

http://open.tracker.thepiratebay.org/announce

http://www.torrent-downloads.to:2710/announce

http://denis.stalker.h3q.com:6969/announce

udp://denis.stalker.h3q.com:6969/announce

http://www.sumotracker.com/announce

But I didn´t upload the .torrent files to any of them. (I thought this was done by the torrent software somehow). but if you upload the new .torrent files to these trackers, then it should work, right?

[Sparky]

ps: you dont have to upload the media files, only the .torrent files. but you need to use a tracker server and enter the tracker url while creating the .torrent files. as mentioned, it's best to do this with a small file for a test first.

Hi Christoph, thanks for helping out on this. I'm not sure I understand this though- wouldn't just uploading the tracker files result in the same issues if Kents IP address is dynamically assigned? In fact, didn't Kent do this, or maybe he only has to upload the .torrent files to the tracker for it to work?

What a nightmare. If no one wants them, can I just have the actual films? I know my projector works.

Lets not call it a nightmare quite yet- just some teething troubles- hopefully we can get this worked out soon ;-)

Sorry all for the false start

Mark

[christoph]

hehe, i agree that this is far from a nightmare.. have you ever dealt with setting up a DNS server? took me the better part of 3 days... ;)

it's quite simple really:

1. use the client software to create the small .torrent files, including the link of the tracker you plan to use)
(already done, but check the tracker faq for the proper link)
2. log in the tracker website to upload the small .torrent file
(this is the mssing bit, again check the tracker website on how to do this)
3. send the link to the .torrent file to people who can simply double cllick the file if they have a torrent client installed

there's not much that can go wrong really (don't move the media files on your harddisk though). the whole idea of a tracker is that you don't need to worry about local IP and firewall things, since the server takes care of this.

++ c.

[Uppsala BildTeknik]

I´m in for several hours for this torrent. Anyone who wants to can upload the .torrent files to the trackers in my post above (those are the trackers used when I created the torrent files).

[Sparky]

Hi Christoph,
I just looked at this website:
http://torrentfreak.com/how-to-create-a-torrent/

and they said this:

6. Save the torrent and send it to your friends

Happy sharing. Note that you don’t need to upload the torrent to a website or a tracker. This means you control who gets the file and who doesn’t, and it won’t be visible to others!.

which sounds just like what Kent did- I'm confused :?

Mark

[Sparky]

I think the 2nd lot of .torrent files Kent made are sort of working- at least they are connecting to a tracker, but nothing is downloading- could Kents ISP be blocking the torrent (I read that some do to prevent illegal file sharing)?

Here's a screenshot of utorrent on my machine with tracker info open:



Mark

[Sparky]

spoke too soon- the torrent is working!
it just took a while to start- here's what it looks like now:



Thanks Kent!!

So get downloading!- I think the more do the quicker it gets or something like that

Mark

[Uppsala BildTeknik]

Weird... In the torrent software I see peers:

HD version: 0 (7)
SD version: 1 (1)

Earlier I had 8 on the HD version, like this 0 (8). I think it means that the first number it the ones that are actually connected and downloading. and the number in these() is the number of peers connected to the tracker but not downloading for some reason?

Perhaps it just takes time for the torrent to start ticking away? I guess we will know later tonight. I see the status for the trackers on both HD and SD versions, on the new torrents, is OK (according to Utorrent).

[Sparky]

Hi Kent, according to uTorrent I have downloaded 290MB already. But I'm only showing one peer might have to stop soon though as my broadband has only 1GB free download- then I pay through the teeth. I'll set it up on my work computer tomorrow so I can help seed the files. Definitely seems to be working though!
Mark

[Uppsala BildTeknik]

I´m the peer you see. You are the only one that has the torrent running (the DV-version). Nobody has the HD version running. You could try to get the HD version running, just to see if it starts to download.

How ironic isn´t this? The only one who has the torrent running is the guy who will receive all files on a hard drive within a few days! :lol:

[christoph]

jup, the SD version is seeding now.. congrats ;)
the HD version is still stuck it seems but maybe it just needs a bit of time. but then again it might be best to wait till two or three people have the SD files so the HD upload doesn't slow down the SD torrent.

i can help seeding for a few days as i have quite a good line and my computer is on most of the time anyway.

++ c.