Simple guide
From MLDonkey
Contents |
[edit] Mldonkey
MLdonkey is a p2p which connects to:
- (Edonkey)Emule network
- Bittorrent network
- Directconnect network
- more
This article covers:
- simple guide, first time usage
- Emule network, givin' tips for everyday usage.
[edit] Simple Guide
[edit] Executing Mldonkey
You need to open a console(telnet... a command prompt) on the PC running mldonkey.
In order to remotely access a Li/Unix device you need a telent/ssh application.
Under Windows OS the best one telnet/ssh application is Putty
Unix's users should use the "ssh" command:
$ ssh username@192.168.0.45
"username" is the user on the remote computer where you like to execute mldonkey and 192.168.0.45 is the fictional address of the remote computer on which mldonkey is intended to run. Having a working console you can execute mldonkey with this command:
$ mlnet
this is nice to see things working but closing the ssh console could kill the mldonkey application.
In case you like to execute mlnet in background unattended use this command and then you will be able to freely close the ssh shell:
$ mlnet > /dev/null 2>&1 &
More details about executing the application are collected in HowToStartMLdonkey.
[edit] Enabling Access
Having a running application doesn't suffice, you need to enable access from remote location, for example you like to enable your local network to access mldonkey interfaces. By default mldonkey permits only local access from 127.0.0.1, and you need to add new authorized ranges. Let's log into the PC running mldonkey (look at previous "executing mldonkey") and connect to the core directly from there:
$ telnet 127.0.0.1 4000
127.0.0.1 means the local machine and 4000 is the default port for the mldonkey's telnet interface.A new > prompt should appear to confirm your successfully connection. For example, having a local network 192.168.x.x, netmask 255.255.0.0, in order to permit access to all your local network you can use this command:
> set allowed_ips "127.0.0.1 192.168.255.255"
You can exit the interface using the command "quit"
> quit
More details about this topic: Allowed_ips
[edit] Configuration and tuning
[edit] Using Webinterface
In order to interact with mldonkey, configure the application, search for files and manage downloads you have 3 ways
- telnet interface, very useful for script-based mldonkey's control
- Webinterface, the most complete interface wich permits the deep control of telnet interface with the easiness of a graphical interface.
- GUI interface
Webinterface is accessible using a a browser (Firefox, Explorer, Opera, Safari) and connecting to a "page" which is artificialy created by mldonkey in order to communicate to the user.
We can assume that you are accessing a remote computer running mldonkey (address: 192.168.0.45) Let's open your browser and write in the upper navigation bar simply write this address an press enter:
http://192.168.0.45:4080
4080 is the default port for mldonkey's web interface. Webinterface works like a normal internet page, simply it permits to communicate with your mldonkey in the same way you do with the normal emule application. In the upper bar you can see buttons which permits to access to the main mdonkey's functions:
- Transfer:
Opens a page with the current active downloads
- Search:
Opens a page which permits to search for files
- Statistics:
...statistics regarding mldonkey operations
- Options:
This is the place you are looking in order to configure mldonkey, there are options for basic and advanced tuning.
- Help+:
The place for help, documentations, command lists (Longhelp)
There is also a field which could be used in the same way of telnet interface.You can write the telnet commands listed in longhelp in order to obtain particular operations. Command's output will be visualized in the browser as well.
[edit] Searching for files
In a p2p network file searches are based on file name, file tipe, file size and other file details. In fact the file name usually reflects the nature of the content.For example a file named my_birthday.avi is a movie about a guy's birthday. Let's see a real situation, you like to download a public domain movie, Dr.Jekill and Mr.Hide in the original version of the year 1920. I sugegst to not put to much words in a search but to put the less number of words which helps to identify the content in a no-ambiguous way.
In this case we can try with the words: Jekill Hide 1920.The search phase is visulazied in the next sreeenshots.
- Push the button search (1) to access the search page
- Input the file name and the type of the content (2) choosing from a menu.
- Push the Search button (3) in order to effectively launch the search.
- Click on search results (4) in order to visualize collected results.
Search results depends from hour-day-lucky and wait few seconds first of clicking search results permits to your mldonkey to collect more.
In the next screenshot you have the search results panel: The second column is the name of the files which has matched your search criteria, the third column is the file size, and the fourth ( A ) is the estimated number of sources for this file. Every row (different coulour) is a different file/result but you can note that the same file could appear in the network with different names.The file is recognized with a numerical way but every user is able to change the name based on his thoughts.Usually this is done in order to give a better description of the content or in order to correct name errors.Looking at the different names is a good way to estimate the quality of the content.
Tips:
- The number of sources is the number of guys sharing that particular, greater the sources number -> lesser 'll hopefully be the download time.But this is not for sure...
- ..but sometimes it is better to wait a bit more in order to obtain a better file.
Usually for the same content there are different versions, or different files-movies.The files are different cause different guys has converted the same resource in a sharable file format but doing different quality choices, size choices or using different softwares for convertion.
I suggest to choose from the list the file which has the name most similar to the one you are looking for but with more "sources".I'll add a specific guide in order to do the best choices based on quality and resulting download speed. After choosing the file which fits your needs you have simply to click to the desired filename in order to start that download, naturally you can start more than one download at once.
[edit] Manage downloads
Cliking on the upper Transfer button you can access to the transfers page.Here you can see status of downloads, download progress, tecnical details about downloads and so on.
You can also decide to Pause download, Remove download, or re-enable (Continue) paused downloads.Clicking on downloads you'll see detailed informations about a particular download.
[edit] File Location Basics
[edit] Emule Network
Mldonkey is a filesharing application which grant access to the wide Emule p2p network.The Emule ( aka eDonkey ) network is a big p2p which is sometimes wrongly compared with Bittorrent network.
The main difference between Emule network and Bittorrent network is the search and share paradigm.
In the bittorrent network you need a bittorrent web site in order to search for files and you are bound to the trackers in order to share your files (you have to subscribe). The Emule's search engine is integrated in to the emule's compatible clients and all searches spread immediately far and wide all the network.So you need a unique place, your program interface, in order to look for files which result in a very quick and integrated way to search&donwload files. Emule network permits to simply share a file to all the world by simply moving the file in a shared folder. This is quite immediate and easy way to share things which you think worth spread. In fact common emule's users philosophy is:
- to share what is wothing based on quality and rarity
- to keep sharing valuable stuff
- help the network by contributing with new content
- helping selecting files based on comments and file naming
- left client uploading as more as you can.
If you embrace the Emule(Edonkey) network you'll join the most reach p2p network.Emule offers the widest range of rare, old and new content ranging from videos to music and programs. In detail:
- more than 4.000.000 users, extimation ranges between 4.000.000 and 8.000.000.
- files are shared and preserved, this is a network for new and old content both
- file corruption detection
- easy share and contribuite
There are few suggestion about correct emule usage:
- Network freedom and decentralization is a great advantage but this also grants stupid guys to pollute changin' names to the files or releasing originally empty or useless files.
- This is quite important you read the guides about Emule network, so you 'll be able to correctly tune your client, set the correct server's lists and ipfilter for happy kademlia experience too.
- Reading this guide you'll learn the easy ways to search and download the right contents and you'll learn about avoiding the fake ones.It is quite simply as far you read&learn.
- Share a file with Emule is so simple and you have to be careful to not share a private file or a wrong folder cause a mistake.
There is a last performance note: Usually Emule is a bit slower than bittorrent but this depends on the chosen files, it is suggested to launch more donwloads at once in order to optimize banwith usage and to left it run unattended.Choosing the right files to download is an art which is quite funny to learn. Good sharing, Good downloads don't forget to contribuite too.. ;-)
