what is torrent?

Question

I keep seeing this everywhere online. what is it?

Answer 1

Let me keep it simple...

You have a file(a movie,a word file or something like that) and you want to share with others there are two ways you can do that.
i) You upload your file to some server and allow others to download from there using the link to that server. For example, Flickr is one server that allows photos to be uploaded , youtube for videos (sites like rapidshare , megashare allows you to upload any file). But the problem with this is there is a upper limit to the size and sometimes you have to pay money. (This is client-server download)

ii) The most simple way is allow others to access that file directly from your computer itself instead of uploading to any server. The rules(also known as protocols) by which others communicate with your computer to access the file from your computer is bit-torrent. Softwares that follows these rules and helps others to get your files include utorrent, azereus,etc. (This is called peer-to peer).

you can stop with this if you dont want to know how torrent works.
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This is how you use the bittorrent protocol for file sharing:
1. You search for utorrent (the software that uses bittorrent protocol, there is also a software by name bit-torrent that does the same) , download and install it.

2. You have a file for example myfile.mp3 and you want to share this with others. You should use utorrent to convert myfile.mp3 into myfile.torrent. This .torrent is a pointer that points to the location of the file in your computer. This .torrent file is always few bytes in size no matter how big your myfile.mp3 is!

3. While you create myfile.torrent you will be asked for tracker. This is like a server that does the file sharing process. For example, you are posting this myfile.torrent in a mininova.com they will have an URL which you should give when asked for trackers.

4. This URL will help mininova.com to manage the transfer of myfile.mp3 to others.

5. You have to use the upload option in mininova.com to upload your myfile.torrent

5. This tracker will identify the computers who want to access your file (known as swarms). The utorrent by the time would have created pieces of myfile.mp3
6. Once the swarms are identified , these pieces are transfered. These computers will also use softwares like utorrent . They will download the .torrent file and add them to the utorrent. This u torrent will help in getting all the pieces of your myfile.mp3

7. In bit-torrent terms , you are the seeder. Once someone has the complete myfile.mp3 he also becomes a seeder if he chose to share it with others or he will be called a leecher if he simply downloads and disconnects from the swarm.

8. Another advantage of this bit torrent protocol is that the more you seed the more you receive.
9. Hope you understood how this works.
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Happy torrenting!!!!

Answer 2

Its basically a format to download almost everything. Its preferred over clients like Limewire, and Kazaa, because it is significantly faster, has little to no viruses or spyware, and allows you to download pretty much everything.

To start torrenting, download a Client like Azereus. Then, go to a torrent website, to find a torrent (a download)

- Mininova
- ThePirateBay

Go to websites like those, enter your search, and open the one that is correct, and has the most seeders (Most of the time).


There should be a button like "Download This Torrent" - Click on that, and when a window pops up, you can save the torrent file, and OPEN IT with Azereus. That starts the download. Theres various tutorials to increases download speed.

Answer 3

A torrent generally signifies a strong flow of something, especially fluids and particles, and in particular water or rain.

When it is talked in terms of Internet then it is,

BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer file sharing (P2P) communications protocol. BitTorrent is a method of distributing large amounts of data widely without the original distributor incurring the entire costs of hardware, hosting and bandwidth resources. Instead, when data is distributed using the BitTorrent protocol, recipients each supply data to newer recipients, reducing the cost and burden on any given individual source, providing redundancy against system problems, and reducing dependence upon the original distributor.

Through Internet many sites are offering bit torrent files to share large files etc. When once the torrent file is downloaded you need to have a small programme to de code it to its original format. Numerous programmes are there on internet for free of cost.

Answer 4

a type of file you can download with... programs/music/movies... pretty much anything, but you need a torrent client such as bitcomet, and you use sites like isohunt.com

Answer 5

like a file

Answer 6

like filesharing, basically like kazaa without the spyware

Answer 7

somethign that you can download with, for music and stuff like that...a software

Answer 8

IRTS PORNO FOR TEENS AND PRETEENS.