On Sat, 16 Dec 2006 13:48:00 +1300 Reg <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Nick Rout [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Saturday, 16 December 2006 12:13 p.m. > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: DHT > > > well what is the tracker? > > Sorry I am a bit lost on this one. All I know is that ktorrent is working > fine but it has a setting called DHT and when I set it to enables it still > says that it is off. I don't understand your question about whether it is > private or not. > > Reg >
The original bittorrent protocol relies on a tracker for each torrent. Each client (e.g. ktorrent, utorrent etc) contacts the tracker and reports how much of the file it has and what it wants. It is given a list of other clients. It downloads from and uploads to the other clients. The tracker can keep statistics, like "Reg has downloaded 10G and uploaded 1G, he's a hit and runner..." etc DHT is and extension to the original protocol and is a way of spreading torrents far and wide without always needing a tracker. Private trackers invariably keep track of members ratios in an effort to deter hit and running. Also they also don't want non members joining in their torrents. Private trackers are very "ratio" oriented, ie if you don't seed back stuff you have downloaded your name is mud and eventually you get banned. This makes for very good download speeds because there are always plenty of people seeding stuff back. Contrast theis to the crap situation you have on many public trackers where there are many unseeded torrents, slow downloads, etc. As DHT is "trackerless" your uploads and downloads don't get counted at the originating tracker. Also with DHT non members get to download the torrent. Therefore private trackers take advantage of the part of the protocol that allows you to say "do not allow this torrent to utilise the DHT protocol." Therefore no matter how much you tell your client to use DHT on a private tracker torrent it SHOULDN'T utilise DHT on that torrent. I emphasise "shouldn't" because some clients had a history of not following the protocol in that regard, and have been banned from many private trackers.
