eD2k servers and the Kad network

The eD2k network has two parts that OmniPeer uses together: servers, which you connect to one at a time to search for files and find sources, and Kad, a serverless network where every client is a node. An eD2k download finds sources from both.

eD2k servers

Open eD2k Servers in the sidebar. Under the item’s name is the status: “Connected · server name”, “Connecting…” or “Not connected”.

The server table has the columns Status, Server Name, IP Address:Port, Ping, Online Users, Indexed Files and Description. The toolbar search field filters the list.

• Connect: select a server and press Connect to Selected, or use Connect to this server in the context menu. You’re connected to one server at a time. If the server doesn’t answer within 20 seconds, the attempt is dropped.
• Disconnect: Disconnect.
• Remove a server: context menu › Remove from list.
• Add a server by hand: Add Server, then name, IP address or hostname and TCP port.

Updating the list

The server.met URL field holds the default address https://upd.emule-security.org/server.met. Update server.met downloads the file and adds the servers to the list. You can enter another http(s) address of a server.met file or an ed2k://|serverlist|…|/ link. If the update fails, an alert says why.

On first launch, with an empty list, OmniPeer downloads the default server.met on its own.

Kad network

Open Kad Network in the sidebar. At the top, the Connect to Kad (or Disconnect) button turns Kad on and off: the choice is the same as Enable Kademlia Network in Settings and restarts the engine.

The page shows:

• Connection Status: Disconnected, Connecting…, Connected (Firewalled / LowID) when the port is closed, Connected (Open / HighID) when it’s open;
• Active Nodes: how many Kad nodes OmniPeer knows;
• Kad UDP Port: the port in use;
• Public IP Address: known only with an eD2k server connected and the port open.

With the port closed Kad still works, but some sources can’t reach you. To open it see Ports and router; the Ports on the router box is at the bottom of this page.

Bootstrap

To join Kad you need some initial nodes. OmniPeer saves the ones it knows and reuses them after a restart; if there are few, it loads a nodes.dat file. In the Initializing (Kad Bootstrap) box you can also do it by hand:

• Bootstrap from known node: enter the IP and UDP port of a Kad client and press Bootstrap. Contacts arrive over the next few seconds.
• Update nodes from URL (nodes.dat): the default address is https://upd.emule-security.org/nodes.dat; Download loads the contacts and says how many it found.

BitTorrent DHT

The BitTorrent DHT item in the sidebar doesn’t open a page: it shows how many DHT nodes OmniPeer knows, or “Off” if DHT is turned off in Settings. DHT lets you download from magnet links without trackers; peer exchange (PEX) learns about other peers from the peers already connected.