Basically bittorrent or BT is a P2P protocol, like kazaa and eMule.
But instead of doing searches in the program itself, it uses files called torrents, these are small files that contain information on who to get the file off. (hashes, tracker information, etc..)
Some terminoligy you will come across is:
Seeds:
These are people who are sharing the complete file.
The more of these, the better.
Peers:
These are people who are partially sharing the file (i.e: Still dowloading it.)
To download off bittorrent you will need a client.
A client is what actually downloads the file.
Remember, the torrent is only the information on how to get the file, which tracker to use, hash etc..
The best client (In my opinion) is Azureus.
CODE
https://azureus.sourceforge.net/
It is java-based, so you will need the Sun Java Machine.
CODE
http://www.java.com
But there are other clients like
BitComet
ABC
etc... (Just look for bittorrent clients in google)
You will need a good search engine to find torrents, so here’s a few I use:
Torrent Spy:
CODE
https://torrentspy.com/
Torrent Reactor:
CODE
https://torrentreactor.net
Here is a link to another FAQ on Bittorrent:
CODE
https://btfaq.com/serve/cache/1.html
This should help you get started.
There is heaps out there, so do some googling.
NOTES
On safety: BitTorrent has been tracked more fiercely by anti-piracy organizations, thanks to our pals at the MPAA. Downloading movies is the most risky, but all downloads could be monitored. To keep others out of your business, get something like PeerGuardian to block anti-piracy IP addresses. BitTorrent generally connects to tens of different computers at a time to transfer files, so there’s a chance one of those computers is operated by someone who wants to sue you. PeerGuardian can be found at h**p:// http://www.methlabs.org/methlabs.htm, and alternatives exist. It’s important to protect yourself. Many people are getting busted lately, make sure you aren’t one of them and share with caution.
On etiquette: Don’t be a leech. BitTorrent keeps download speeds up by having everyone upload and download simultaneously. It creates a web of transfers that can transfer files quickly and efficiently. Many BitTorrent clients allow you to cap your upload speed, limiting how fast you share with other users. This is generally acceptable, but not for the sake of reducing speed. The only time you would need to cap your upload is if you have a connection where uploading slows your downloading, and even then, do it sparingly. The fastest upload speed I’ve really achieved is about 42kB/s, but it slows all other traffic to a crawl. I cap my upload at 36kB/s when downloading, and at 38kB/s when not downloading. Also, it is important to leave your client running after the download has finished. It is considered leeching if your uploaded total is less than 100% of your downloaded total. If you want to be nice, upload more than 100%. In ABC, I set my client to seed until I have uploaded 150% of what I’ve downloaded. This helps keep Torrents populated and fast.
On network setup: If you have a router for your connection, or an active firewall, you may need to tweak your network setup for BitTorrent to function well. Personally, all I had to do for my router to let connections through is create a DMZ connection for my LAN IP. This means going to the router setup page and punching in my network IP, and allowing it to accept all incoming connections. For more info on this or other networking details, post in the Hardware & Networking Support forum, or ask a friend. Things are different from case to case, but try to figure it out for yourself before asking others to do it for you. Signs that your network aren’t properly configured include unusually low download speed (less than 10kB/s on well-populated Torrents), errors connecting among all trackers, and downloads disconnecting often. Please note that speed is variable. Torrents will start out slow, but tend to speed up once you’ve got a decent portion of the file. Torrents also tend to slow down near the end of transfers, because it becomes harder to find the required pieces of the file. Be patient, seed well, and be thankful for what you get.
On errors and Torrent lifetimes: Torrents generally die after a while because they become less popular. Sometimes they fail because the tracker they are on (a server for required Torrent info and details) is down or slow. This is just a fact of the system. Look around for what you need, and if you can’t find it, request it somewhere, or try to deal with it. There are a bunch of different errors you might encounter, search to see if others have had them first, and if you can’t find it, ask for help. BitTorrent can be hard to configure and understand at first, but once you have it running smoothly, it’s an indispensable tool.