KTorrent

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KTorrent is a client for BitTorrent protocol. KTorrent uses .torrent files to initiate a download.

1 Versions
2 Installation / Update
3 Settings
4 Downloading a file
5 Seeding a file
- 5.1 Seeding a file which was already downloaded
6 Starting a Torrent
7 Links

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Versions

latest version at KTorrent.org: 2.2.6
latest version at Mepis7-Repositories: 2.0.3
latest version at Mepis7-Package Sharing: 32bit 2.2.6 / 64bit 2.2.4

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Installation / Update

Updating KTorrent from Mepis7-Package Sharing:

download your version (32/64bit) from Mepislovers.org
install libgeoip1 via Synaptic
open the downloaded .deb-file with KPackage and install it.

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Settings

Port: 50000^1/2
UDP Tracker Port: 4444
UDP DHT Port: 4445³
Max download rate: up to you, but don't max out your available bandwidth. It usually is counter-productive.
Max upload rate: set to 8o% of your max. upload rate of your internet connection is usually best.
Maximum connections per torrent: ⁴
Global connection limit: ⁵
Enable protocol encryption
Allow unencrypted connections

¹ Port 6881 is the default torrent port, but some ISP's block this port - more informations here.
² You can choose a port number starting from 49152 up to 65535.
³ A different port number is required also for UDP traffic.
⁴ Depends on your router and bandwith. Using a Fritz!Box - 60-80 connections are recommended. For others use the Settings Calculator
⁵ Depends on your router and bandwith. Using a Fritz!Box - 100-150 connections are recommended. For others use the Settings Calculator

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Downloading a file

You need to download a .torrent file, usually from a tracker site (e.g., linuxtracker.org)
Open the file by clicking on it.
Make sure that in your firewall you have the ports used by KTorrent open for connections.

Usually a torrent download starts very slow and accelerates once more people join the torrent swarm and start to share larger portions of the file between them. This is different from FTP downloads, where more people results in slower download speeds for everyone. This is because, unlike the one-way server-to-client model of the FTP download, the Bit-Torrent protocol allows all clients connected to a central tracker to download and upload numbered segments of the file (called "chunks") simultaneously between themselves.

Also, unlike FTP, a bit-torrent client like KTorrent automatically error-checks the downloaded files, as each chunk completes. There is no need to do a separate md5sum after the download is completed.

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Seeding a file

Seeding means uploading to other people the file that you finished downloading. As a common rule of thumb, torrent users should seed at least to a sharing ratio of 2.00 (meaning that they upload double the amount they downloaded). Seeding happens automatically once the file is downloaded. In any given torrent swarm (group of people all sharing the same torrent), the more seeders who remain on line, the more efficient the torrent becomes. Every leecher (person still downloading the file) will get faster total download speeds, as the uploading work is being shared by more sources. Similarly, each seeder will be needing to use less of her/his bandwidth. Everybody wins —if everybody plays nice!

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Seeding a file which was already downloaded

move your downloaded file into the folder where your completed iso-files are stored
copy the link of the torrent file or download the torrent file from i.e. Linuxtracker.org
open the bit torrent client (i.e. KTorrent) and add that torrent file or link
the torrent client will now check your iso-file and when it is ok, it will start seeding

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