Survival of the "Bit"test

Working of torrents explained

Unlike HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) downloads, the torrent files are downloaded by a peer-to-peer file sharing network. You may came across the terms like leecher, seed, peer, tracker etcetera while dealing with torrents... You may wonder what the hell these terms mean[I did!!!]. There are many web resources explaining this in detail but not all of them are convenient for the master inside your cranium to understand...here I prepared my best to explain each term concerning torrents and how they work. Let us start.... (Assuming you know basic surfing stuff)

Our conventional downloads are by HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) or FTP (File Transfer Protocol). Here there will be a central server from which a connection is established through a series of routers and switches by any shortest path algorithm. For example consider that you are downloading Google earth, your browser sends request to Google server located in the USA. The Google server responds by setting up connection to your computer and sends the file to your computer through the wireless and wired connection through routers and switches as said above...

Now let us tear into torrents to examine them...

First of all let us see what is peer-to-peer sharing... the method used to download torrent files. Peer-to-peer sharing connects your computer into a network of computers that are connected together and have the file (that you want) completely or a part of it. Now you become one of the computers in that network and can receive file from the computers in that network and other computers connecting to that network can also receive file from you if you have downloaded the file or a part of the file. Here I illustrate how peer-to-peer network looks like....

Now don’t confuse with the connections, but imagine how it is connected.... each and every computer is connected with every computer on the network that contains that file. Here each box represents a computer like yours. In this network each computer is called a peer, hence the name peer-to-peer.

Torrents use this kind of sharing technique to download files.. But how do they implement it... How do you get connected... Who connects and disconnects you from the network... read on...

When you download a torrent file from a torrent search engine or torrent server such as the pirate bay or isohunt, the torrent file(Remember!!!! A torrent file is different from the actual file you want to download. A torrent file is like the index of the actual file you want) is loaded in your torrent downloader program such as utorrent or bitlord. This torrent downloader sends request to the parent server from where the torrent is downloaded... for instance take the pirate bay. Now here thepiratebay server is called the TRACKER. This tracker does the job of finding the network of computers having the file completely or partly... and joins you into that network. The computer having the complete copy of the file you want is called a SEED. The other computers having parts of the file are called PEERS. The computer that disconnects from the network after downloading the file is called a LEECHER. The more the seeds, the faster the download of the file will be. Here the tracker(here thepiratebay.org) does a wonderful job of monitoring the peer-to-peer networks... There will be many such networks on the internet that are monitored by the tracker. The tracker keeps record of the computers on the network and works on the principle of tit for tat!!!!!. That is if you always download a file and never seed... i.e. you are a leecher, or you disconnect from the network after downloading the file and never make let other users to download it from you... the tracker reduces the speed of your download next time you download a file from the tracker.. The more you seed, the faster the downloads will be...

Hope this helps... There are many tweaks in the internet for speeding utorrent... but for me none of them worked... believe me... if you set your upload rate to 10kbps and seed some 4 to 5 files, you can easily get a download speed of 200kbps... for a basic broadband connection.

Here are some nice trackers...

isohunt.com

thepiratebay.org

lokitorrent.net

torrentreactor.com

kickasstorrents.com

btjunkie.com

Happy torrent downloads..........

HACKing for noobs

What is hacking? answer in my perspective:

Everyone who is familiar with the internet would have come across the weird terms HACKER and HACKING.

By the way the term hacker is very much misunderstood by the human community…

In most of their minds, a hacker is a dark bad guy who would steal their passwords, rob their bank accounts or do any sort of displeasing activities to them via online.

The term “hacking” and “hacker” gained much importance among the Homo sapiens only during the computer era. Much of the folks were not aware even such kind of word exists till the computer age.

The literal meaning of the term Hacking goes as,

“Modifying any material from its original form to suit your needs or to please you”

Carefully note the last part of the above mentioned sentence “suit your needs” and “please you”, this confirms that hacking skills varies from individual to individual. It’s the outcome of the extraordinary intelligence and imagination power of humans which are not equally used by everyone.

Surprisingly, hacking has become one of the hottest topics in the world of international network of computers.

Hacking is good.

I am sure that the above lines may disturb some folks. Why the hell hacking is good when the hacker is intended to steal and rob off our accounts?

For the above question, the answer is indeed very simple… it’s all the intentions of our mind.

Those whose intentions are to destroy things with their knowledge were never termed as hackers. They themselves called them hackers and they were actually crackers disrespected by the hacker community.

Hacking is just an art. Using it for bad or good purpose depends on you. I indeed bet that hacking is responsible for the very survival of this modern technology we are enjoying today. Surprising? But this is a damn truth.

Since the term hacking and hackers were widespread as a loathly term, and it meant both good and bad fellows, nowadays, hacking is broadly classified into two divisions namely black hat and white hat hackers. Yes, you may have guessed. Black hat hackers are those men who use their knowledge for destruction, and on the contradiction, white hat hackers are the builders of today’s technology.

Another group has arisen called the grey hat hackers and their intentions are bit of both as stated above. Basically, a grey hat hacker enjoys breaking into a secure system without authorization with no intentions of bad idea, just to show that that any type of security can be breached.

Okay, by the way, I have come across many people who wonder what is hacking and how to hack. When they surf on that topic, most of them are misguided to cracking websites.

As mentioned above hacking is any sort of work that modifies the originality of a thing, a thing means, anything not particularly software. Many people thing that hacking is a term concerned with software.

This is an unacceptable statement. For example a simple hacking is just connecting a potentiometer ( a variable resistor)  to your headset by which you can control its volume. Here in the above example, it is assumed that volume control is not provided in the headset and that you are just “hacking” it by connecting a potentiometer to control the volume.

Here lies the answer to the previously mentioned question “How to hack?”

For this question, let us analyze the above example, just to connect the potentiometer to the headset for volume control, you have to know how to rip of the headset wire, where to connect the potentiometer and how to use the potentiometer (of course) and finally, what is a potentiometer.

Without knowing these details, you cannot modify or “hack” the headset for manual volume adjustment.

Now I think you must be clear about the term hacking. To begin hacking, you must first do the following steps whether it a hardware or software hacking,

1. Determine the object which you are going to hack. In the above example it’s our headset.





2. Determine your modification. In our example, we want to make arrangements for manual volume control.




3. Study the object carefully and know its entire anatomy and working mechanism. In our example, it about knowing where to connect the potentiometer and working mechanism of the headset.




4. Then apply your modification. In our example, it’s connecting the potentiometer.

From the above steps, it’s very obvious that for hacking, you must have a in-depth and vast knowledge about the thing you want to hack…

Considering this, you must be strong in electronics if you want to be a hardware hacker. And you must be strong in at least 3 programming languages if you want to become one of those weird software hackers.

And finally hats off those hackers such as Steven Paul Jobs, William Henry Gates, Paul Allen and Linus Torvalds, without whom we cannot imaging today’s technology.

So, if you want to hack, first consider learning some basics of the subject that interests you and then happy hacking.