the purpose of this post is to give readers a simple understanding of how bitTorent
downloading works.
BitTorrent networking is a proper representation of the file sharing
concept and has become extremely popular among internet users over the years.
It is based on peer to peer (p2p) networking. For heavy downloaders like
myself, this is the ultimate tool to have stable downloads that you can
actually control, not just monitor.
Peer to peer networks are networks where the nodes (called peers in this
case) supply and consume resources to/from one another.
How it works
Using bitTorent for downloads is a two-way process; anytime you're
downloading a file using a torrent
client, you are actually receiving bits of that same file from different people
who have already downloaded it. A peer
is a downloader who has not completed a download. When the download is 100%
complete, that person (peer) becomes a seed. Seeding simply means uploading
parts of your complete downloads for other peers to download. This is why i
earlier said BitTorent networking embodies the file sharing concept. The term
leech means two things;
1. A downloader (one who hasn't completed a download).
2. A peer who drastically reduces their upload speed, or turns off their
internet to prevent seeding when their download is done.
To download files using bitTorent networking, you need:
a. A bitTorent client
A bitTorent client is a program that enables you to download files using
the bitTorent protocol. There are a lot of clients available for download (eg,
mediaGet, utorrent, Vuze, BitTorent, qbitTorent).Any tweaks or tips i post will
however be based on either Vuze or utorrent, or both, since they are the most
popular clients.
b. A torrent file
This is basically a file that gives the client information about a
particular file to download. You can find a torrent file for almost anything
you want to download on file sharing websites and torrent search engines such
as torrentz, isohunt, kickass torrents.
Will do a follow-up post to how to download files using a bitTorrent client.
