Introduction

BitTorrent is a protocol that enables fast downloading of large files

using minimum Internet bandwidth. It costs nothing to use and includes
no spyware or pop-up advertising.
BitTorrent is one of the most common protocols for transferring large
files, and it has been estimated that it accounted for roughly 27% to 55%
of all Internet traffic (depending on geographical location) as of 2009.
Unlike other download methods, BitTorrent maximizes transfer speed
by gathering pieces of the file you want and downloading these pieces
simultaneously from people who already have them. This process makes
popular and very large files, such as videos and television programs,
download much faster than is possible with other protocols.

History
Programmer Bram Cohen designed the protocol in April 2001 and
released a first implementation on July 2, 2001. It is now maintained by
Cohen's company BitTorrent, Inc. There are numerous BitTorrent clients
available for a variety of computing platforms.

Traditional Client-Server
Downloading
To understand how BitTorrent works and why it is different from other
file-serving methods, let's examine what happens when you download a
file from a Web site. It works something like this:
You open a Web page and click a link to download a file to your
computer.
The Web browser software on your computer (the client) tells
the server (a central computer that holds the Web page and the file you
want to download) to transfer a copy of the file to your computer.
The transfer is handled by a protocol (a set of rules), such as FTP (File
Transfer Protocol) or HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol).
 Client-server download process

The transfer speed is affected by a number of variables, including the

type of protocol, the amount of traffic on the server and the number of
other computers that are downloading the file. If the file is both large and
popular, the demands on the server are great, and the download will be
slow.

Peer-to-peer File Sharing

Peer-to-peer file sharing is different from traditional file downloading.
In peer-to-peer sharing, you use a software program (rather than your
Web browser) to locate computers that have the file you want. Because
these are ordinary computers like yours, as opposed to servers, they are
called peers. The process works like this:
You run peer-to-peer file-sharing software (for example, a Gnutella
program) on your computer and send out a request for the file you want to
download.
To locate the file, the software queries other computers that are
connected to the Internet and running the file-sharing software.
When the software finds a computer that has the file you want on
its hard drive, the download begins.
 Others using the file-sharing software can obtain files they want from
your computer's hard drive.

Gnutella's peer-to-peer download proces

The file-transfer load is distributed between the computers exchanging

files, but file searches and transfers from your computer to others can
cause bottlenecks. Some people download files and immediately
disconnect without allowing others to obtain files from their system,
which is called leeching. This limits the number of computers the
software can search for the requested file.

What BitTorrent Does

Unlike some other peer-to-peer downloading methods, BitTorrent is a
protocol that offloads some of the file tracking work to a central server
(called a tracker). Another difference is that it uses a principal called tit-
for-tat. This means that in order to receive files, you have to give them.
This solves the problem of leeching -- one of developer Bram
Cohen's primary goals. With BitTorrent, the more files you share with
others, the faster your downloads are. Finally, to make better use of
available Internet bandwidth (the pipeline for data transmission),
BitTorrent downloads different pieces of the file you want simultaneously
from multiple computers.
Here's how it works:
 BitTorrent's peer-to-peer download process
You open a Web page and click on a link for the file you want.
BitTorrent client software communicates with a tracker to find other
computers running BitTorrent that have the complete file
(seed computers) and those with a portion of the file (peers that are
usually in the process of downloading the file).
The tracker identifies the swarm, which is the connected computers
that have all of or a portion of the file and are in the process of sending or
receiving it.
The tracker helps the client software trade pieces of the file you want
with other computers in the swarm. Your computer receives multiple
pieces of the file simultaneously.
If you continue to run the BitTorrent client software after your
download is complete, others can receive .torrent files from your
computer; your future download rates improve because you are ranked
higher in the "tit-for-tat" system.
Downloading pieces of the file at the same time helps solve a common
problem with other peer-to-peer download methods: Peers upload at a
much slower rate than they download. By downloading multiple pieces at
the same time, the overall speed is greatly improved. The more computers
involved in the swarm, the faster the file transfer occurs because there are
more sources of each piece of the file. For this reason, BitTorrent is
especially useful for large, popular files.
BitTorrent Client
To use BitTorrent for file downloads, you need to install the BitTorrent
client software. A BitTorrent client is a computer program that manages
downloads and uploads using the BitTorrent protocol.
The first client, known as BitTorrent, was created by Bram Cohen, in
October 2002.
Many subsequent clients have been at least partially based on it. Not all
clients were originally built for BitTorrent, having added support for the
protocol later on. There have been attempts to package malware as
BitTorrent clients, probably due to the availability of many legitimate
clients and users' willingness to try new ones.
Most famous are: ABC, Azureus, Bitcomet, Bittornado, uTorrent,
XBT.

Finding and Downloading Torrent

Files
After you set up your computer, you're ready to download .torrent files.
You can search for the term ".torrent" using an Internet search engine to
find sites that offer BitTorrent files. There are also a number of sites
dedicated to BitTorrent file searching. These
include isoHunt and TorrentSpy. Other sites that offer BitTorrent files
directly include bt.etree.org for shareable music, Legal Torrents for
music, videos and books, and BT on EFnet for recent television shows.
When you find the file you want, right-click the .torrent link, choose
"save target as" and save the file in a convenient place on your computer,
such as the Windows desktop. The .torrent file, which is a pointer to the
actual file you want, will download quickly. Next, double-click the
.torrent file you saved to your computer. The BitTorrent client software
displays and starts the download process:

As we mentioned before, the more computers in the sending/receiving

swarm, the quicker the download process. If you are downloading a file
with only a few other computers in the swarm, the transfer speed will be
relatively slow.
After the download is complete, leave the BitTorrent client software
open so that other peers can download .torrent files from your computer.*

Peers using BitTorrent can download only .torrent files from your
computer. Once you have a complete copy of a file, your computer
becomes a potential seed for that file -- as long as you're still running the
software. Sharing what you have causes speedier BitTorrent downloads
for you in the future. You can leave the client software running for a few
hours or overnight.* Simply close the software when you're done.
Legal Ramifications Similar to other peer-to-peer software, BitTorrent
can be used to download copyrighted material. Because BitTorrent
handles large files remarkably well, it is especially popular for
downloading video files. The Motion Picture Association of America has
filed countless lawsuits, causing at least many high-traffic .torrent
download sites to shut down.
BitTorrent itself is perfectly legal to use. When you select a file to
download, however, it is your responsibility to make sure the file not
copyrighted. BitTorrent downloads are not anonymous; information
about your computer's IP address and the files you download can be
traced back to you.
Despite its improper use by distributors of copyrighted material, the
BitTorrent program itself both legal and innovative. With additions such
as tit-for-tat and an open-source philosophy, BitTorrent will likely build a
legacy of its own while serving as a bridge to the next generation of file-
serving software.

Definition
Leeches - People who download files but do not share files on their
own computer with others
Seed or seeder - A computer with a complete copy of a BitTorrent file
(At least one seed computer is necessary for a BitTorrent download to
operate.)
Swarm - A group of computers simultaneously sending (uploading) or
receiving (downloading) the same file
.torrent - A pointer file that directs your computer to the file you want
to download
Tracker - A server that manages the BitTorrent file-transfer process.
Leeches - A leech is a term with two meanings. Usually it is used to
refer a peer who has a negative effect on the swarm by having a very poor
share ratio (downloading much more than they upload). Most leeches are
users on asymmetric internet connections and do not leave their
BitTorrent client open to seed the file after their download has completed.
However, some leeches intentionally avoid uploading by using modified
clients or excessively limiting their upload speed.
The often used second meaning of leechis the person who does not
have the complete file yet but has joined the network to download it. A
leecher becomes a seeder when he downloads the entire file and then
shares it across the network.
Pieces - This refers to the torrented files being divided up into equal
specific sized pieces (e.g. 512Kb, 1Mb). The pieces are distributed in a
random fashion among peers in order to optimize trading efficiency.
Health - is shown in a bar or in % usually next to the torrents name
and size, on the site where the .torrent file is hosted. It shows if all pieces
of the torrent are available to download (i.e. 50% means that only half of
the torrent is available).

What Is BitTorrent Ratio?

Share ratio – The ratio is the amount of data a user has uploaded
divided by the amount of data they have downloaded for a particular
torrent (UL÷DL). A share ratio of 1+ has a positive effect on the
user’s reputation because it means that the user has sent more data to
other users than he has received. Conversely, share ratios under 1 have
a negative effect.
Function
BitTorrent is a file transfer protocol that enables you to download
small pieces of an underlying file from many different peers. For
instance, if you wanted to download a 1 GB freeware program, you
can use BitTorrent to download it in 1 to 2 MB chunks from other
people who already have the program
Identification
The BitTorrent ratio is typically calculated by dividing the total
amount of a data you have uploaded for a certain file by the total
amount downloaded. For instance, if you have downloaded 500 MB
and uploaded 250 MB, your ratio would be .5.
Benefits
BitTorrent client programs discourage users from "leeching"
(downloading without uploading) by limiting download speeds if
upload rates are too low. Achieving a higher upload ratio may
improve download speed.
Potential
After you are finished downloading a file with BitTorrent, you can
upload the file to other users, known as "seeding" the file.
 Considerations
It may be considered poor etiquette among the BitTorrent community
to consistently download much more data than you upload.

ADVANTAGES
1. BitTorrent is an open-source program offers a spyware- and
nuisance-free installation.
2. Allows users to share large amounts of data in a short span of
time.
3. Discourages “freeloading” by rewarding fastest uploaders.
4. BitTorrent requires that users share files back with the
community, so no one can get files without also giving files —
this level of reciprocity makes the system stronger and faster.
5. The more popular a file is — the more people want a copy of it
— the faster it can be downloaded, because there are more
places to get pieces of it.
6. Does not require high technical knowledge to use the
BitTorrent- an average person needs not a user guide.
7. By downloading a fraction of the file (1/10th) from ten to fifteen
computers at the same time, the file is downloaded much faster.
8. BitTorrent enables distributors to share the distribution load with
all the people who get a copy of it, reducing the bandwidth
burden on the distributor.

Limitations
Content unavailability
Although swarming scales well to tolerate flash crowds for popular
content, it is less useful for unpopular content. Peers arriving after the
initial rush might find the content unavailable and need to wait for the
arrival of a seed in order to complete their downloads. The seed arrival, in
turn, may take long to happen (this is termed the seeder promotion
problem). Since maintaining seeds for unpopular content entails high
bandwidth and administrative costs, this runs counter to the goals of
publishers that value BitTorrent as a cheap alternative to a client-server
approach. This occurs on a huge scale; measurements have shown that
38% of all new torrents become unavailable within the first month. A
strategy adopted by many publishers which significantly increases
availability of unpopular content consists of bundling multiple files in a
single swarm. More sophisticated solutions have also been proposed;
generally, these use cross-torrent mechanisms through which multiple
torrents can cooperate to better share content.
Lack of anonymity
 BitTorrent does not offer its users anonymity. It is possible to obtain
the IP addresses of all current and possibly previous participants in a
swarm from the tracker. This may expose users with insecure systems to
attacks. It may also expose users to the risk of being sued, if they are
distributing files without permission from the copyright holder(s).
However, there are ways to promote anonymity; for example, the
OneSwarm project layers privacy-preserving sharing mechanisms on top
of the original BitTorrent protocol.
The leech problem
A BitTorrent user may often choose to leave the swarm as soon as they
have a complete copy of the file they are downloading, freeing up their
outbound bandwidth for other uses. If enough users follow this pattern,
torrent swarms gradually die out, meaning a lower possibility of
obtaining older torrents (see content unavailability above). Some
BitTorrent websites have attempted to address this by recording each
user's download and upload ratio for all or just the user to see, as well as
the provision of access to newer torrent files to people with better ratios.
Users who have low upload ratios may see slower download speeds until
they upload more; users who download excessively without uploading
enough may be banned from these trackers. This prevents (statistical)
leeching, since after a while they become unable to download at even a
fraction of the theoretical bandwidth of their connection. Some trackers
exempt dial-up users from this policy, because their uploading
capabilities are limited. The BitTorrent protocol also attempts to
minimize the damages of leeches by using only a portion of their
bandwidth for one-directional trades and using the majority for two-
directional trades that tend to help the swarm as a whole.
There are "cheating" clients like BitThief which claim to be able to
download without uploading. Such exploitation negatively affects the
cooperative nature of the BitTorrent protocol, although it might prove
useful for people in countries where unauthorized uploading of
copyrighted material is illegal, but downloading is not.
Speed
Average BitTorrent download speed is usually the sum of that peer's
upload speed and a fair share of the total upload of all the "seeders in the
swarm" (peers logged with the tracker that have a complete copy of the
file). The "tit-for-tat" style file sharing of downloading peers is
responsible for the portion of the available download that's the same as
the peer's upload. The seeders attempt to provide fair shares by scattering
pieces to a wide selection of the best performing peers.
ISPs often provide asymmetrical Internet connections, with much
higher download than upload speeds. Since a peer can only download
data that's been uploaded by another peer this asymmetry is suboptimal
for the bittorrent protocol. This performance issue is most obvious during
the early life of a swarm when there is only one peer that is seeding (has a
complete copy of the file) and all the other peers have exactly the same
portion of the file as each other. When you initially join such a swarm
you will get very high download speeds as every other peer optimistically
sends you pieces in the hope that you have something to send them. This
will probably continue until the time your peer catches up with the rest of
the swarm when your average download speed drops to exactly the same
as the upload speed of the seeder. The data is uploaded by the seeder to
one peer and that peer passes it on down the line to the next in the swarm
and so forth to everyone in the swarm.
If all peers in the swarm have symmetrical connections the swarm
becomes far more stable. During the initial startup the swarm will be less
able to draw new arrivals to the current maximum level of the swarm so
the "everybody becomes a seeder" threshold is much less of an instant
switch and more of a controlled cascade. The balance between the upload
and the download also means that the majority of a peer's download is as
a result of the "tit-for-tat" file sharing which reduces the cost of seeding
to a swarm by forcing the natural ratio of a peer closer to the overall 1:1
requirement of the swarm as a whole. If this reduction in "seeder cost"
were to happen in the wild it would probably result in much longer lived
swarms too.
As symmetrical connections are uncommon swarms are normally in
the "seeder starved" state where there is very little seeder upload
bandwidth available and each peer gets about the same download as its
upload. Additional upload bandwidth can be made available to a swarm
through the use of "seed boxes" and "http seeds" but this is quite rare with
public torrents.