How to increase your torrent download speed

I am a linux user.. and i use Bitswash .
Here are the settings to check : TCP (Port Range)
DHT
Maximum connection
Maximum upload slot
UPnP
Nat Port mapping
local service discovery
Peer Exchange
Half-Open Connection

Firstly, In computer networking, the protocols of the Transport Layer of the Internet Protocol Suite, most notably the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), but also other protocols, use a numerical identifier for the data structures of the endpoints for host-to-host communications. Such an endpoint is known as a port and the identifier is the port number. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is responsible for maintaining the official assignments of port numbers for specific uses.
Uh..long list..To put it in layman term for bittorent..It allows you to recieve data for seeders and peers..not all ports are open..Some are closed some are restricted.
Default port for transmission is 9090
While my port range is from 6112 to 6889
My default was 6881 to 6889...

DHT.. Distributed hash tables (DHTs) are a class of decentralized distributed systems that provide a lookup service similar to a hash table: (name, value) pairs are stored in the DHT, and any participating node can efficiently retrieve the value associated with a given name. Responsibility for maintaining the mapping from names to values is distributed among the nodes, in such a way that a change in the set of participants causes a minimal amount of disruption. This allows DHTs to scale to extremely large numbers of nodes and to handle continual node arrivals, departures, and failures...

DHTs form an infrastructure that can be used to build more complex services, such as distributed file systems, peer-to-peer file sharing and content distribution systems, cooperative web caching, multicast, anycast, domain name services, and instant messaging. Notable distributed networks that use DHTs include BitTorrent (with extensions; simply put, 'DHT allows not to depend exclusively on tracker sites), eDonkey network, YaCy, and the Coral Content Distribution Network.
..Er..In short DHT allows you to get extra peers if available ..Er..if its not necessary disable it


Maximum Connection ...eh in short means the total number of seeders and peers u are allowed to have.My recommended maximum...if u are using a router like me....Linksys ...is 350.minimum is 200

Maximum Upload slot...Simply means how many people you can upload too..one slot equals to one peer....Recommended minimum is 2..As for maximum..ah well depends on how good your download and upload speed is..and depemds if u are a big hearted seeder....Me? not the biggest hearted seeder..i use 10 upload slots.

UPnP...Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) is a set of computer network protocols promulgated by the UPnP Forum. The goals of UPnP are to allow devices to connect seamlessly and to simplify the implementation of networks in the home (data sharing, communications, and entertainment) and corporate environments. UPnP achieves this by defining and publishing UPnP device control protocols built upon open, Internet-based communication standards.
Eh..InShort it allows the discovery of new peers , seeders and ports automatically..Enable it for faster download.

NAT Port Mapping Protocol (NAT-PMP) is an Internet Engineering Task Force Internet Draft, introduced by Apple Computer as an alternative to the more common Internet Gateway Device (IGD) Standardized Device Control Protocol implemented in many network address translation (NAT) routers. It was introduced in June 2005. NAT-PMP allows a computer in a private network (behind a NAT router) to automatically configure the router to allow parties outside the private network to contact itself. NAT-PMP runs over UDP. It essentially automates the process of port forwarding.

Included in the protocol is a method for retrieving the public IP address of a NAT gateway, thus allowing a client to make this public IP address and port number known to peers that may wish to communicate with it. This protocol is implemented in current Apple products including Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and 10.5 Leopard, AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express networking products, and Bonjour for Windows.
Importent for automated port forwarding...Please enable it if you want faster download speed..

The Service Location Protocol (SLP, srvloc) is a service discovery protocol that allows computers and other devices to find services in a local area network without prior configuration. SLP has been designed to scale from small, unmanaged networks to large enterprise networks. It has been defined in RFC 2608 as Standards Track document.
Local Service discovery is not the most important thing for normal bittorent downloads...OPTIONAL

Peer exchange (PEX) is a feature of the BitTorrent peer-to-peer protocol which, like trackers and DHT, can be utilized to gather peers. Using peer exchange, an existing peer is used to trade the information required to find and connect to additional peers. While it may improve (local) performance and robustness—e.g. if a tracker is slow or even down—heavy reliance on PEX can lead to the formation of groups of peers who tend to only share information with each other, which may yield slow propagation of data through the network, due to the few peers sending information to those outside the group they are in.
Very Important..ENable it.

A TCP connection is referred to as half-open when the station at one end of that TCP connection has crashed, or has otherwise removed the socket without formally notifying the other end of the TCP connection.

Due to the stateless nature of the Transmission Control Protocol, it is possible that if the application controlling the still-existing end of the connection is not expecting a response, then that socket may persist indefinitely in the state known as TCP half-open.
VERY important...my half-open connection limit is 2048..
I am a linux user..So i can choose freely....But For Windows XP User..You would need to patch ur tcp list..For windows xp sp2 onwards.default maximum is 10...Go to here to download file to patch
windows xp half open connection http://www.lvllord.de/?lang=en&url=downloads
And go to http://www.technovice.net/archives/12-Increase-Your-Half-Open-Connection-For-Better-Download-Speed.html for more info bout using the programme..

Most importantly..Make sure the blasted firewall doesnt block your ports for downloading..And if you are a windows user..Anti virus firewalls are known to cripple torrent downloads badly..
Get a good seeded torrent and happy downloading..
And if all doesnt work..Get a new internet plan..

Bittorent Clients For Linx

Here are a few i recommend
Bitswash
Deluge
Vuze( Originally Known As Azureus)
Ktorrent
Transmission

Bitswash..A relatively new comer to scene...based on libtorrent and is fully compatible with libtorrent..It has UPnP and all the other functions as well as the important half open connection function..
Deluge is also based on libtorrent..frontend is python..
It has similiar functions as Bitswash
Ktorrent will be your average typical torrent downloader...tat will work for KDE..
Transmission..The default bittorent client for ubuntu provides the pure basics for downloading bittorents stuff..
Vuze..A java based client..Cross Platform compatibility..Heavy Cpu and Ram consumptions due to java and Vuze functions..It has great functionality..but slow to response if your com is not up to their recomannded requirements,,

Distros For Old Pentium Computers

I had a old pentium3 64mb ram 16mb graphic card 20 gig hardrive..and it runs windows 98 and is full of virus..so i wiped it out and installed a light distro..erm..here are some that i like

Damn Small Linux (50mb)
Slitaz ( average 25mb)
Puppy linux ( 80mb)
Kwort (400mb)
Working center linux project (670mb)
deli linux (250 mb)
luit linux (50mb)
Jinx (50mb)
Fluxubuntu (300mb)
TinyFlux (240mb)

All this linux OS work great , no fatal errors and irritating bugs..
Jinx has some problem adjusting to bigger screen resolution..and WCLP takes a long time to instal on my old box...A good 50 minutes at the partitoning part...
WCLP is debian based and to install it , try to partition your harddrive beforehand....One swap partiton one ext2 or ext3 partiton..if you are not planning to dual boot,
Luit linux and Deli linux needs some configuration for my old box before it could start the GUI and internet connection...so it might not be convinient for ppl who dislike command lines....
All the other distros that claim to be light and fast with KDE are talking crap...KDE is as buffed up as ur average windows....a recomanded of 256 mb is needed to run KDE...
Fluxubuntu and some other dervratives like iceubuntu are , er...no offense , but not as light as they claim to be..
Fluxubuntu , a remaster of ubuntu , using FLuxbox needs about 128 mb to even start properly....so swapping is recomanded.....Why 128 mb when they use Fluxbox?...Ubuntu isnt really a light system after all ...But its a great OS indeed..with all the apps and well polished desktop
TinyFlux is based on PClinuxOS but uses fluxbox ...and needs a 128 mb ram to start the live cd..

Thriple Boot Kalyway , Windows Xp and Ubuntu

What you need:
Ubuntu live cd
Kalyway or IAtkos dvd
Windows Xp installation cd (If u havent installed , or just incase u mucked up)
Gag BootLoader
Gparted(Optional)

First Install Window$ Xp onto your computer if u have not..
Next Partition your harddrive to install ubuntu if u havent...Please take note to install gag bootloader to partition , NOT TO MBR...^.^
Lastly partiton a primary or logical partiton and format it to fat32 (Primary partiton is recomanded)
I assume you know how to install kalyway...just pop in the disc and have lots of paitence if your com is like mine....
Once you have installed kalyway, use ubuntu live cd or gparted to flag your windows partition to active....And log on to your windoCws to locate your boot.ini file... and type
C:\chain0="Mac OS X86"
into it,,,,
If your Kalyway is in a logical partiton...use tboot instead of chain0
Tboot is a revised version of chain0 that allows you to boot Kalyway from a logical partition..
But...Not so recomanded..
For People using tboot type
C:\tboot="Mac OS X86"
Into ur boot.ini AND MAKE sure your tboot or chain0 is in your C drive or whatever partiton your windows with boot.ini is in
Lastly , Intall GagBootloader
It allows up to 8 or more OS on a computer...for more info go to their site,,,
Install GaG...It is pretty selfExplainatory
JUst Do not select your Kalyway partition when installing ur GAG
Just select your ubuntu partiton with grub installed on to partiton...
And select your windows partiton with boot.ini in it...
To boot into Kalyway, select ur windows partiton, this will lead you to windows bootloader...
From there select your Mac OS X86 from ur windows bootloader

This tutorial will probably work with all other linux distros...
AND remeber resizing your linux partiton with grub in it will cause you to lose grub....

HIhi

Erm..This is my first post...i am ermm..a linux user...i will try to help people who post their problems here...About computers..