Three Questions:
First, I am presently using BitComet and another torrent client. I have successfully opened one port for each program by using this guide to set up a static IP and to configure my router. (See, these guides DO work!). My first question, though, is whether there is any benefit/detriment to having separate ports for the torrent clients. Can both clients be combined on the same port?
No. Whichever client you start first wil grab the port, and the other will whine that it can’t listen on that port.
Second question, does setting a static IP address make my computer more vulnerable to hackers, even theoretically?
No. There’s no effective difference at all. The static IP address applies only within your own subnet – your side of the router. On the other side, to the internet at large, your IP is your router’s address, obtained from your ISP via DHCP, which is exactly how it would appear if you had no router.
Third question, are there any other real or potential drawbacks to having a statis IPaddress?
No. It’s possible to screw it up and create problems that way, but there’s very little that can’t be said of.
Ive looked everywhere on this site and still found nothing about which ports need to be open for bit comet if running a router as I have a netger dg814 everything is fine but when i try to create a torrent and seed to people they just get connecting… nothing actually downloads so im confused kind of, The random port in the prefrences is set and opend in the router and still nothing anyone got any ideas ?
All ports are pretty much equal, and the only issue is to avoid ports that might be used for something else. For that reason, you should select one single port in the range of 49000 to 65535 (Flip darts, toss coins) and set it. Don’t touch the “Random port” button thereafter. Set that port as forwarded through the firewall in your router.
As I have followed the simple steps about creating a torrent I doubt its the actual creation but in saying that I maybe wrong but any help would be very appreciated !
It’s funny how many people do misuderstand the seeding process. Once you’ve created a torrent, it must be registered with a tracker. Trying to run your own tracker is a big deal, so use one of the many public or semipublic trackers out there instead. Upload your torrent to the tracker website, THEN start seeding. Others will d/l the torrent from that website, and start leeching. Give the tracker at least 15 minutes after you finish uploading, to take care of its business and get the torrent registered and tracking.
Once you do start trying to seed, check the tracker status report to see what’s happening. This is where you’ll be notified about problems with it.
when I type in my static Ip in my browser all I get is a “could not find server”.
Unsurprising. Why are you even doing that?
Your router has a configurable IP address, which is the internal address for anything connected to its LAN ports, and only for that. It also has an external IP address, which is for the world at large through the internet. They are two, utterly different things.
That local IP address is the one you need, and your router’s manual will tell you what it is. Type THAT into your browser, and you’ll be connected to the router itself, through it’s own little internal webserver, to its configuration controls. You have to log in to it to change anything. Your manual will tell you what the default login is. Use that.
Once you’ve logged in, first order of business is to change the login, because the whole world has access to that manual, and knows what the default login and password are. So just anyone could log in to it, change it, and lock you out of your own router. Cute, huh? So change the flippin’ password to something only you know. DO that first.
Now that you’ve logged in and changed the password, look around at your local network setup. This is where you could change the internal lan IP address of the router, but don’t. Just look at it. It will tell you your base LAN IP, and your netmask, which tells you what range of addresses the router will route.
Example (only):
Base IP: 192.168.2.1
Netmask:255.255.255.0
Range of addresses: 192.168.2.1 through 192.168.2.255
See how it works?
I read the list of routers that have problems with this prgram and Westell 6100 was listed there. Does that mean Im screwed and can’t do anything to fix this?
Not necessarily. If you keep your connection limit under 200 you should be fine, and that’s plenty for great speed.
I always followed the instructions very carefully and even the instructions listed for the Westell 6100. 