[Leaplist] Insights on Torrent file sharing

[patrick]

I run several GNU/Linux distros, because I choose the distro that works
best on the particular hardware of the system I am addressing at the
moment.

On a Compaq Presario 5000 system of 1.2Ghz (Model 5310US), PCLinuxOS
will run live or installed, while many other distros take issue with the
video graphics hardware that is on-board.

On my AMD 64 Sempron 3000+ system, everyone of the many distros at
http://livecdlist.com (32 bit and 64 bit) has booted and run live, and I
am using SimplyMepis6.5-64bit as it does seem to work well.

I build for donation to single parent families, and many do not have the
skills to install or modify the default image on a LiveCDrom.  So, I try
to offer systems that just simply work as presented.

Therefore, in downloading and applying many new GNU/Linux Distros I've
 found torrent file sharing to be optimal for large CD or DVD ISOs.

*  Some of the many GNU/Linux Torrent Programs are in this wiki:

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_BitTorrent_software


*  Blacklist to prevent bad sites access/torrents to your system:

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address

*  Azureus wiki about ISP port blocks (answered with our port shifting):

        http://www.azureuswiki.com/index.php/Port_is_blacklisted

*  The referenced ports assignments by IANA:

        http://www.iana.org/assignments/port-numbers

*  Throttling up/down bandwidth by the users:

http://www.mepis.org/docs/en/index.php/KTorrent#Limiting_download.2Fupload_speed


Some ISPs are packet sniffing, and then port blocking, or throttling,
the torrent packets.  This is actually problematic, and I cannot
conceive that amount of corporate stupidity in comparison to http: or
ftp: downloads of large files, which actually hog bandwidth much worse.

To try to prevent this exploit by ISPs, we tick the box in the "ktorrent
program>General>ktorrent settings" page, to encrypt the torrent.  We do
not accept files from unencrypted connections.