Little tutorial on how to install and configure uTorrent!

by mtecheasy on February 14, 2011

I’m not going to go into a long description of how the program, or BitTorrent works, there is a lot of information on the web. This will just show you where to get utorrent, and some basic configuration for you to get started. Here we go!

Uno: Visit http://www.utorrent.com/

Dos: Click on the BIG GREEN button that says “Free Download”,  and the utorrent application will download.

Tres: Once downloaded, install uTorrent, bare in mind that it may ask you to install a toolbar (That’s how free application make their money). If it does, simply uncheck it. All other options are good by default.

Cuatro: Open uTorrent

Cinco: Click on “Options” –> “Preferences” or “Ctrl+P

Seis: There are a lot of settings you can set, but here are the basic ones:

Under “Directories” –> “Put new downloads in:” ++ Browse to the location you want to save your BitTorrent downloads.

Under “Connection” –> “Port used for incoming connections:” ++ For most users, you will use the Random port option or leave it with the current port, but more advanced users may want to setup the port in order to setup their router’s firewall to allow outside connections directly, allowing for faster downloads. If your router has UPnP enabled then you should be ok with whatever port. But with security and control in mind I like to setup a static port.

Under “Bandwidth” ++ Most basic settings will work for the basic user, but I would set the “Maximum upload rate” from 0 (Default) to about 10. Saving you some bandwidth on your monthly limit.

Under “BitTorrent” –> “Protocol Encryption” –> “Outgoing” ++ Change it to “Forced” This will provide a little bit more speed and make your ISP a little harder to know your downloading torrent. Some ISP, most cable ISP like to throttle BitTorrent traffic. I would also recommend you use other anonymity/privacy software, visit my blog entry here.

Siete: Now visit one of the Tracker/BitTorrent site located here. Search for something you’d like to download, and depending on the browser you have, you may get a pop-up windows for the .torrent download file, select Open with, run as, etc. uTorrent will then open the file and start download the BitTorrent file in the location you choose earlier.

If you want more information on BItTorrent, or uTorrent information/documentation visit the following:

http://www.utorrent.com/documentation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BitTorrent
http://bootstrike.com/Articles/BitTorrentGuide/
http://www.technospot.net/blogs/ultimate-utorrent-tweaks/

Want privacy from P2P, Web, IM, Ads, and so on? Check out this list!

by mtecheasy on February 13, 2011

Well this is a list of a variety of different anonymity/privacy application that will help you mask your identity on the internet. Now nothing is an all in one solution, but these links can steer you in the right direction. And with today’s government spending millions to try to stop us from  downloading copyrighted material on the internet and while the music and movie industry continue making millions regardless of us pirating, so stop wasting tax payers money and help the people!

Tor: Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security known as traffic analysis.
Webpage: https://www.torproject.org/

OFFLOAD: OFFLOAD is a decentralized, p2p file storage network. It is the new, anonymous generation of file sharing and file storage like a kind of secure torrent. Download the OFFLOAD client and securely download and store files with OFF-URLs.
Webpage: http://offload.sourceforge.net/

Anomos: Anomos is a pseudonymous, encrypted multi-peer-to-peer file distribution protocol. It is based on the peer/tracker concept of BitTorrent in combination with an onion routing anonymization layer, with the added benefit of end-to-end encryption. By combining these technologies, we have created a platform where by no party outside of the trusted tracker will have any information about who a peer is or what they are downloading.
Webpage: http://anomos.info/wp/

Freenet: Freenet is free software which lets you anonymously share files, browse and publish “freesites” (web sites accessible only through Freenet) and chat on forums, without fear of censorship. Freenet is decentralised to make it less vulnerable to attack, and if used in “darknet” mode, where users only connect to their friends, is very difficult to detect.
Webpage: http://freenetproject.org/

OneSwarm: OneSwarm is a new peer-to-peer tool that provides users with explicit control over their privacy by letting them determine how data is shared. Instead of sharing data indiscriminately, data shared with OneSwarm can be made public, it can be shared with friends, shared with some friends but not others, and so forth. We call this friend-to-friend (F2F) data sharing.
Webpage: http://oneswarm.cs.washington.edu/

I2P: I2P is an anonymizing network, offering a simple layer that identity-sensitive applications can use to securely communicate. All data is wrapped with several layers of encryption, and the network is both distributed and dynamic, with no trusted parties. Many applications are available that interface with I2P, including mail, peer-peer, IRC chat, and others.
Webpage: http://www.i2p2.de/

Adblock Plus: Annoyed by adverts? Troubled by tracking? Bothered by banners? Install Adblock Plus now to regain control of the internet and change the way that you view the web. You can also choose from over forty filter subscriptions to automatically configure the add-on for purposes ranging from removing online advertising to blocking all known malware domains.
Webpage: http://adblockplus.org/

Install GD libraries in Ubuntu

by mtecheasy on January 16, 2011

GD is an open source code library for the dynamic creation of images by programmers. GD creates PNG, JPEG and GIF images, among other formats. GD is commonly used to generate charts, graphics, thumbnails, and most anything else, on the fly. While not restricted to use on the web, the most common applications of GD involve web site development.

1. sudo apt-get install php5-gd
2. sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

You should now have GD support!

DHCP to static IP configuration in Ubuntu Server

by mtecheasy on January 16, 2011

If your running a server, you should have a static IP, yes this could be accomplished with DHCP, but what happens when the DHCP server goes down? That’s why I like to setup static IPs, especially on my servers!

Run the following command to open the interface config file:
# sudo vi /etc/network/interfaces

Replace this:
iface eth0 inet dhcp

With the following:
iface eth0 inet static
address 192.168.2.55
netmask 255.255.255.0
network 192.168.2.0
broadcast 192.168.2.255
gateway 192.168.2.1

Then you have to restart your network adapter for the changes to take affect:
# sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart