How To: Downloading from TrainSimDev.com

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How To: Downloading from TrainSimDev.com

Postby Nobkins » Fri Mar 07, 2014 12:46 am

Introduction
We hope to keep everything free on TrainSimDev.com. However, bandwidth does cost money so we have to limit he amount of standard browser downloading that is done from the site every month.

The good news is that we have implemented a BitTorrent system (also known as Peer2Peer, P2P and Torrent) to make every download available for free to everyone.

Why BitTorrents?
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Sharing files using BitTorrents is a great way of reducing our costs and helps us keep this site free. BitTorrents are often associated with pirate web sites and illegal downloads but they are also a very effective and robust system for sharing files (which is what a download library is all about!).

BitTorrent Basic Concepts
BitTorrents or Peer2Peer networks is a method of sharing files between people. Every individual is able to download from any other individual who has that exact file. Normally with standard browser downloads the whole file is downloaded from a single location (usually a web-server on the Internet).

  • Seeders: People who have finished downloading a file and who are allowing others to download.
  • Leechers: People who are downloading a file from Seeders
To ensure you can still download a BitTorrent even when there are no Seeders on-line / available our server at TrainSimDev.com is configured as a WebSeed. A WebSeed is simply an alternative location that the BitTorrent client can download the desired BitTorrent from even if no other seeders are available. By doing this we help ensure that BitTorrents are always available.

Getting Started with BitTorrents?
To download using BitTorrent technology you need a BitTorrent client. There are many clients available. We recommend using either µTorrent(see installation instructions below) or qBittorent. Both are free software. A comparison of BitTorrent clients is available on Wikipedia.

µTorrent Details / Installation
µTorrent is closed source but is designed to be small and lightweight. Recent versions have an installer that attempts to add annoying toolbars etc unless you carefully read the options as you go through (this is becoming quite common with many free programs). Fortunately there is a very easy way to avoid this.
  1. download the µTorrent client from the official web site
  2. Before starting the uTorrent.exe download this zip containing an empty µTorrent configuration file
  3. Extract the settings.dat file from the ZIP and place it in the same folder as the uTorrent.exe
  4. Double click the uTorrent.exe file
  5. Because a configuration file exists (even though it is a 0Kb empty file) µTorrent ignore it's installation process and configures itself as a portable application (an application that runs without being installed).
  6. Watch this video guide on setting up µTorrent for optimal performance
    http://www.youtube.com/v/qKUVqyn5uIk
qBitTorrent Details
qBitTorrent is open source and designed to provide all the features of µTorrent but in an open source format. It is a very nice client but does not feel quite as polished as µTorrent.


Why should I use BitTorrents? I could just use Standard Browser Downloads and let everyone else use BitTorrents!
If there is still bandwidth available then of course you can use standard browser downloads. TrainSimDev.com is a community of people working to help each other in the enjoyment of our hobby. If you use the BitTorrent method (especially if you seed once your BitTorrent download is complete) you are making a positive impact on this community and helping keep this site and all it's downloads free. Please use the BitTorrent method if you can.

Standard Browser Downloads (please only use this method if there is no other choice)
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Whenever you see this icon standard browser downloads are available. We STRONGLEY encourage you to use the BitTorrent or P2P system if at all possible as this keeps the costs of running our site to a minimum. Each month we allocate bandwidth for standard browser downloads. Once that bandwidth has been used up standard browser downloads are no longer available.
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