The BitTorrent Guide : Part III

A BitTorrent tracker is a server which directs the uploading and downloading of packets between clients using the BitTorrent protocol. It is also, without any extension to the existing protocol, the only major single point of failure, as peers are required to communicate with the server at regular intervals to receive up-to-date information. Some of the most popular torrent trackers are :-

Torrentz.com , ISOHunt, TorrentBox, BiteNova, Seedler, TorrentReactor, TorrentPortal.

Creating a Torrent

Here, we shall demonstrate how to create your own torrent file, and publish it to a tracker with the help of a tool called MakeTorrent, which you will need before we get started.

1. Download the latest version of MakeTorrent and install it onto your computer.
2. Once MakeTorrent is installed, run it and a screen similar to the following should appear.



3. Using either the ‘Classic’ or ‘Simple’ tabs shown above, select the files/directory of which to create the torrent. (yes, BitTorrent supports directories as well)
4. Select a tracker and enter it in the “Tracker Box”. Some defaults are already mentioned in MakeTorrent.
5. Now, click on the “Create .torrent Now” button and your .torrent file will be created, and announced at the site you mentioned.
6. Now, remember that when the torrent is created, you do not automatically start seeding, you must then run this .torrent client, through which you can now seed this file.
7. Now, upload this .torrent file onto as many trackers as you want, using the “Upload Torrent” feature, which you can easily find on most trackers’ websites.

I guess that’s it. Now you’re ready to enter the world of BitTorrent, and learn lots more…