Creating a Torrent

[bobsbarricades]

I upload the .torrent to the same place as my .zip on my server.

No, where did you get that idea?

You use Transmission's Web client to load the .torrent file, don't start it yet, select it and look in the inspector, where does it say its the "Download dir:"?

If it doesn't show the correct directory, where you actually have the file, then you'll have to move the file or make the .torrent again (the Web client doesn't have the option to set the location, if you where using Transmission-Qt you would be able to just change the location);

If the directory is the correct one, then in the context menu (right mouse button everywhere except on Mac, which doesn't have buttons) choose verify... after it finishes verifying it will show 100% available and you can start seeding.

But how do I set the directory to the URL where the file is hosted?!?!? You guys are speaking this totally different language and it doesn't make any sense to me! Ok. Web Client. Looked into that (but then you said it doesn't allow me to change the location...Transmission-QT wil...wait that's for windows?)

Do you see why none of this makes ANY sense to me? The directory will NEVER be the correct one because my only option is to select files ON MY COMPUTER! I realize this is all really basic for your guys but it's not like there are any FAQ's for me to read that cover this.

[rb07]

Transmission-QT wil...wait that's for windows?

No, Transmission-Qt runs everywhere (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, ... )

Do you see why none of this makes ANY sense to me?

Yes, I see that you didn't understand what "relative path" means. And on top of that you have other terms mixed:

how do I set the directory to the URL where the file is hosted?

What URL? This makes no sense. The directory (which I call path) is not part of any URL; the only URL you use while "Creating a Torrent" is the tracker URL, and that one has nothing to do with the path.

Let's start from the beginning, how do I create a new .torrent file:

1. Choose the tool I'll be using: transmission-create (a console tool);
2. See what options do I have:

   Code: Select all

   $ transmission-create -h
   Usage: transmission-create [options] <file|directory>
   
   Options:
    -h --help              Display this help page and exit
    -p --private           Allow this torrent to only be used with the specified
                           tracker(s)
    -o --outfile <file>    Save the generated .torrent to this filename
    -c --comment <comment> Add a comment
    -t --tracker <url>     Add a tracker's announce URL
    -V --version           Show version number and exit

3. Create the .torrent:

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   $ transmission-create --private --comment "Just an example" --tracker "udp://tracker.example.com:80/" --outfile example.torrent Something.mp4 
   Creating torrent "example.torrent" ........................................................... done!

4. Check the result:

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   $ transmission-show example.torrent 
   Name: Something.mp4
   File: example.torrent
   
   GENERAL
   
     Name: Something.mp4
     Hash: 70390...
     Created by: Transmission/2.33 (12565)
     Created on: Wed Aug 10 12:01:20 2011
     Comment: Just an example
     Piece Count: 1099
     Piece Size: 1.00 MiB
     Total Size: 1.07 GiB
     Privacy: Private torrent
   
   TRACKERS
   
     Tier #1
     udp://tracker.example.com:80/
   
   FILES
   
     Something.mp4 (1.07 GiB)
   

In point 3, the file name could have been given using the full path, say /external/videos/documentaries/Something.mp4; that path is not recorded in the .torrent, just the file name. Same goes if the contents is a directory, the full path is not recorded, just the directory. When you use the .torrent file the file/directory name becomes relative, you'll see how below.

The tracker I used works w/o having to register the torrent with them, the original .torrent file can be used with no other steps involved (you still have to make that .torrent file or the equivalent magnet link available to your peers so they can download).

Then I upload the .torrent file to my server, say (continuing to use terminal tools):

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$ transmission-remote --add example.torrent

The server will look at its "download" directory, as in:

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$ transmission-remote hpmediavault -n user:password -si     
VERSION
  Daemon version: 2.33 (12565)
  RPC version: 13
  RPC minimum version: 1

CONFIG
  Configuration directory: /opt/var/transmission/config
  Download directory: /opt/var/transmission/downloads      <--------------
  Download directory free space: 496.3 GiB
  Listenport: 2310
  Portforwarding enabled: No
  uTP enabled: Yes
  Distributed hash table enabled: Yes
  Local peer discovery enabled: No
  Peer exchange allowed: No
  Encryption: preferred
  Maximum memory cache size: 12.00 MiB

LIMITS
  Peer limit: 600
  Default seed ratio limit: 1.50
  Upload speed limit: 195 KiB/s  (Enabled limit: 195 KiB/s; Disabled turtle limit: 100 KiB/s)
  Download speed limit: Unlimited  (Disabled limit: 1.00 MiB/s; Disabled turtle limit: 1.00 MiB/s)

MISC
  Autostart added torrents: Yes
  Delete automatically added torrents: Yes

If it finds the contents, then verifies that it is the same file (the .torrent file contains 'checksums' for every piece), and starts seeding. If it doesn't find it, then tries to download unless I also specified to start paused (--start-paused).

Now if I wanted to use a different location on the server instead of its default download directory:

• The sample.torrent file is the same;
• The location can be changed when I load the .torrent:

  Code: Select all

  $ transmission-remote --download-dir /usbdrive/seeds/documentaries --add example.torrent

• Or it can be changed "after the fact". Transmission-remote has parameter --move, Transmission-Qt has "Set location...", and so forth.

[Robin Hood]

Why isn't there a way to do this through the GUI (since you can do it through the GUI on the Mac OS X version)?

I think it would be awesome if after running transmission-daemon on my server I could make a .torrent files through that GUI.

Also, how do we check which version of Transmission we're using?

[sites]

If I may resurrect this thread, since my question is similar to the OP.

I'm using a FreeNas server with the Transmission web GUI. Everything is working as expected, except for this one thing. After downloading a file to my default location as set in the Transmission preferences (for example, a royalty free album downloaded to /freenas/torrents) the first thing I do is relocate the file to it's appropriate folder on my server (for example, /freenas/music). What I would like to do is seed from this new location, not from the default folder as set in Transmission preferences. There's no way to relocate the file from within the Transmission web GUI, so relocating the file must be done from the file manager on the computer I'm using to access my server. How do I make Transmission (on the FreeNas server) seed this torrent from the new location I have chosen on the server (/freenas/music)? If I open a new torrent file from the web GUI & choose "browse" I'm not allowed to browse my server. I can only browse the computer from which I'm accessing the web GUI. If I choose to use a URL instead, it's just going to start downloading that torrent all over again to the /freenas/torrents folder. I have a feeling that the OP was asking for a similar solution.

Anyone?

[rb07]

There's no way to relocate the file from within the Transmission web GUI

Correct: Moving a download (let's call it different so its clearer) cannot be done from the Web client.

Don't get confused by the "Open torrent" browse button, that only works with .torrent files, not the torrent's downloaded files. I hope you see your last question doesn't make sense.

so relocating the file must be done from the file manager on the computer I'm using to access my server

Not correct. That is only one way to do it, which also would need to pause the torrent.

Options: Use a GUI with remote session capability. One of those is Transmission-Qt, which in the context menu has a "Location..." option that allows you to move files in the remote computer (or just set the location where the files already are -- without moving), the NAS in this case. Advantage: the daemon is fully aware of the operation; disadvantage: the daemon is not very good at doing this (it blocks everything while the move is in progress). I've heard one 3rd party GUI even lets you create aliases for the NAS directories; I think that was meant so you use the same directory names as in the file manager.

Option 2: Use transmission-remote to do it without a GUI, perhaps in a script. Its the exact same operation as described before, transmission-remote tells the daemon to move the file(s).

In short, what you are looking for is the "set location" functionality (and this has nothing to do with the title of this thread).

[Callerip]

I know this a pretty old thread but I found rare information about the torrent, so I am asking for help here. I downloaded some movies or videos from torrent sites which are in different formats but unfortunately found that these files will not be compatible with my player. I googled a lot, but many pages about torrent can not be opened, I don't know why and I got another page about converting torrent to mp4 at here http://www.videoconverterfactory.com/ti ... o-mp4.html I found it can not support mac OS, any idea? I really need your help

[sarah_lane]

what player are you using?