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Bittorent?? What is it, why do I need one?
- Thread starter pbbaker123
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BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer file transfer protocol. It's extremely useful for distributing large files to many clients. There's nothing inherently insecure about it, as long as you know what you're downloading.
I personally prefer using BitTorrent where available. It's nice knowing you aren't draining every last bit of bandwidth out of someone's web server and that you're contributing to distribution of those files.
I personally prefer using BitTorrent where available. It's nice knowing you aren't draining every last bit of bandwidth out of someone's web server and that you're contributing to distribution of those files.
Ignore this scaremongering
As already stated, it's a form of P2P. Websites host "trackers" which are where you download your torrent files from, the trackers keep track (oddly enough!) of who has the actual data you're after and you download directly from these "seeders"/"peers". Once you have some data you also become a seeder/peer for others using torrents from the same tracker to download from.
It's good karma to upload as much as you download, so maintaining a 1:1 ratio at minimum is best.
BitTorrent has many uses both legal and illegal, but you certainly don't need to be overly cautious in using it. The big trackers that everyone knows about or that will be returned in searches are mostly fine, I'm sure there's a few bad eggs in there but the beauty is that these will die out quickly. If someone is seeding a virus or something people quickly catch on, stop seeding, and so the torrent effectively dies. It's no greater danger than downloading random bits of shareware/freeware directly from the internet.
Before you ask, unless a tracker is completely legit MacRumors doesn't permit them to be discussed. So you will have to search them out for yourself.
I used to hate BitTorrent. I thought it was the most useless piece of crap ever to grace our bandwidth. I mean, 4-6 bytes per second?! Forget that!
But once I figured out the port forwarding thing, [keanu reeves]whoa[/keanu reeves].
But once I figured out the port forwarding thing, [keanu reeves]whoa[/keanu reeves].
Nice
Dude...you are one of MANY who had the same revelation. I remember my first time I successfully forwarded a port like it was yesterday.
Dude...you are one of MANY who had the same revelation. I remember my first time I successfully forwarded a port like it was yesterday.
Although I usually get a couple of kilobytes per second, not a couple of bytes per sec, that's still pretty slow. What is this port forwarding thing you're talking about? I use the bittorrent client Transmission.
You need to ensure you forward the ports that your BT client uses on your router to the computer IP address running BT to get the best speeds.
Oooookay, how do I do that?
I'm on DSL, and (at the moment) I'm just going out of the DSL modem directly into my Mac's ethernet port.
I thought you were gonna say that. I've had different network setups in my place before and I probably will again soon. What setups would require this port forwarding thing you're talking about? For instance, I'm planning on setting up an airport express wireless network soon that'll serve a couple of different Macs. Would a setup like that require port forwarding?
Any time you have a router, you need to port forward. If you're directly connected to a modem you don't need to worry.
Oh gosh, I think you might be able to solve a major related problem for me! I don't wanna thread-jack, so I'm gonna start a new thread. Please help me!
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=5358778#post5358778