FAQ.Glossary

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Glossary for Shareaza

This is a glossary of common terms used with Shareaza. It is arranged in alphabetical order.

• Advanced edit
  A right-click menu choice for files you are downloading, it is available in power mode. You can use advanced edit to reverify a file that you suspect is corrupt, delete hashes associated with a file and add new ones, throw away parts of files and redownload them, or forget the sources for your download and find new ones. The reverification for files assumed to be complete allows the recovery of lost downloads, or gives you the opportunity to fix slightly corrupted files (for example glitched Kazaa downloads), ensuring an exact match with a file on G2. Advanced edit can also be used with BitTorrent downloads. Be sure you know what you're doing before using it.

• Bandwidth Monitor
  A little graph in the top of the Shareaza main screen, which shows your upload (yellow) and download bandwidth (green). Underneath the graph is a triangular slider: moving the slider to the left lowers the amount of bandwidth Shareaza uses, while moving it to the right raises the bandwidth used. If the slider is moved to absolute right-most position, limits you have set on upload and download bandwidth are not respected, and Shareaza will attempt to use all the bandwidth available on your internet connection. You can show or hide the bandwidth monitor by going into power mode and toggling its entry in the windows menu.

• BitTorrent
  A protocol for distributing files which Shareaza (among other programs) can use. The BitTorrent-protocol involves a tracker which keeps a list of peers and a metainfo-file which allows clients to connect to a tracker and verify the files as they are downloaded. BitTorrent can be used to distribute single files, or multiple files at once (called batch torrents).

See BitTorrent for more information.

• Corruption detection
  This detects if the file you are downloadig is corrupted. Corruption detection is what is occuring in the common situation where the file being downloaded reaches 100%, but then goes back to 95% or so. It is preventing the 'SCREECH' sound in mp3 files like those common on the KaZaA network.

NOTE: Corruption detection only prevents errors that occur in the transmission and writing of data and related errors; it cannot automatically fix a file being downloaded by a user if that shared file is originally corrupted because of miscoding, i.e. it can't prevent the sharing of crap! (So don't share crap).

• Crack
  A little bit of illegal software that allows you to use programs without the cd, or gets rid of the try-before-you-buy window like in winzip. The Shareaza forums do not recommend the use of such programs, any posts about cracks are not well tolerated.

• Discovery services
  World Wide Web services that store lists of ed2k servers, gnutella hubs, or G2 hubs. Services storing gnutella hubs are called GWebCaches, and those storing ed2k server list are often called Server.met. Shareaza stores a list of discovery service URLs in its Discovery Services window (F9 opens the window). When you first try to connect to G2, ed2k or gnutella Shareaza does not know the internet addresses of any hubs or servers. Shareaza queries some discovery services to download lists of internet addresses of gnutella hubs or ed2k servers. The results of these queries are stored in the Host Cache list. In the discovery services window note that services hosting G2 hub lists are coloured, those hosting Gnutella hub lists are grey. Discovery services sometimes get out of date, but you can add new entries to the list manually, by right-clicking and choosing to add a service, then pasting a url to a GWebCache. Shareaza also has methods of adding GWebCaches automatically.

• Ed2k server
  An ed2k server is usually a dedicated somewhat specialized computer with a static ip that can sustain connections to several hundred or several thousand ed2k clients. Ed2k servers interconnect to each other so that messages can travel throughout the ed2k network. Clients send file lists to ed2k servers so that other users can discover the files those clients are sharing. On the G2 network, G2 hubs provide analoguous functions.

• eDonkey
  ED2K is a semi-centralized file sharing protocol. Shareaza supports the ED2K protocol. It uses servers that anyone with a static IP can run. It is famous for day long queues, but has TONS of files and forces partial file uploading. Emule is a very good eD2k client.

See eDonkey for more information.

• Fakeaza
  Our nickname for fake versions of shareaza, primarily the one distributed from shareaza*com

• Fast Track
  The network that the KaZaA program connects too. It uses a closed protocol, so Shareaza will never connect to it. The Fast Track protocol uses an out of date hash system (uuhash) which can easily result in download corruption. Corrupt files, Fake files and viruses are commonly found being shared on Fast-Track.

• Firewall
  A software or hardware utility that regulates internet traffic on your computer. A firewall must be configured to allow traffic on network ports. See the Shareaza network configuration forum.

• Gnutella
  A file sharing protocol and network that was developed by Nullsoft and then stopped when AOL bought it. It is one of the first decentralized p2p networks.

See Gnutella for more information.

• Gnutella hub
  Computers running Shareaza (G2 hubs), or other G2 and gnutella programs can be elected to become hubs. Hubs connect to a few other hubs (hub to hub connections are also known as peer connections), and often several hundred leaves. Leaves upload to hubs, lists of the names and SHA-1 hashes of the files they are sharing, along with some other data. When a leaf sends a query through the hub network, hubs try to match the query with the files of the leaves connected to them, and send the query on to other hubs they are connected to. Matching files are eventually back to the original leaf that intitiating the search. Search results are sent back via UDP.

• GWebCaches
  This is the name of the discovery services for the Gnutella and Gnutella2 networks. See Discovery services.

See GWebCache for more information.

• Hash
  A set of digits associated with a unique file. Hashes are calculated according to a common algorithm. The SHA-1 hash is a 32 digit SHA (secure hash algorithm) hash of a file which is used to identify it on the G2 network and can also be used to verify that a completed downloaded file has been correctly transmitted. Identical files will have indentical hashes. The Edonkey2000 network also uses a unique 32 digit hash number to identify files, but it is calculated using a different method that on the G2 network. BitTorrent clients, before connecting to the tracker, calculate a 32 digit info-hash of the info dictionary of the .torrent file. The client will send this hash to the tracker, and the tracker will then know what file the client wishes to torrent.

• Host cache
  The host cache has four sections: eDonkey Cache, G2 Cluster, G2 Cache and G1 Cache. The G1 cache stores the urls to known gnutella hubs, the G2 cache to known G2 hubs, and the eDonkey cache to known ed2k servers. The G2 cluster doesn't store anything right now.

• IP
  Internet Protocol address. At any one time, every computer system on the internet has a unique IP address, which allows direct communication to be established to two computers. Shareaza does not hide the IP address of users you are connected to. With the windows NetStat command line utility it is possible to see the IP of everyone you are connected to.

• Keygen
  Generates a serial number that is often required to be inputted when programs are installed. Normally this number would be supplied in documentation provided by the licensor of the program. It is mostly used to crack illegally traded games and Windows operating systems, but can also be handy if you want to install your OS on a second computer, or have lost accompanying documentation. The Shareaza forums do not recommend the use of such programs, and any posts discussing them are often not well tolerated.

• Leaf
  Leaf mode is one of the two mode a Gnutella or G2 client can run in (the other is hub mode or ultrapeer). Most people run in leaf mode. Leaves connect to several hubs, which allows them to search the network and find sources for their downloads. Leaves spend their time uploading and downloading files to other leaves.

• Normal mode
  Distinguished from Power mode by having a simplified user interface, with fewer options.

• Peer to Peer
  (p2p) A general discription for network protocols that establish a direct internet connection between two users, often to share files or to chat. Though originally intended for legal purposes, p2p file sharing programs are often used to share material in an illegal fashion. Many p2p file sharing networks are decentralized (such as G2, ed2k and Fast Track), meaning there is no one central server that acts to initially mediate the connection between peers. A bit-torrent file distribution, which normally uses a single tracker to enable peers to discover one another, is an example of the use of a centralized peer to peer network protocol.

• Power mode
  Distinguished from Normal mode by having more options available to users. Power mode can be selected from the view menu. While in power mode, a user can choose a windowed or tabbed interface from the view menu. The advanced section of the Shareaza settings, and advanced edit options for downloads are only available to users in Power mode.

• Queue
  If you have a source for a file you want to download, it may happen that this source is too busy to upload the file to you right now. You will then get a place it that client's queue in the same way you line up in a queue to wait for a theatre ticket. You'll then have to wait until it's your turn to get the file you want. You can see your position in the queues in the transfer window, if you expand the downloads by clicking on the little '+'. 'Q #32' means that you're at position 32, and 31 other users will get their file before you. Gnutella sources will also show the total size of the queue.

• 'raza or raza
  The forum lingo for Shareaza; it's shortform. Similar to lol or cul8r.

• server.met
  This is the common file name for files containing eDonkey servers. See Discovery services.

• Skin
  Information contained in an .sks file which alters the appearance or language or Shareaza

• TigerTree
  See this Wiki page: TigerTree

• .torrent
  A small file with the extension .torrent. The file is usually downloaded from a website by clicking a link. If Shareaza is set as the default BitTorrent application, and you click on a BitTorrent link, a copy of the .torrent file will automatically be saved in the Torrents directory in the Shareaza directory. The .torrent file contains various sections (called dictionaries). These include the announce dictionary, which tells Shareaza how to connect to a tracker, and the info dictionary which contains information on the size and position of the files being torrented, and also hashes of the files being torrented. Shareaza, and other BitTorrent clients, can use these hashes to verify that the files being downloaded are correct.

• Tracker
  A computer running software which keeps track of the internet addresses of people downloading a torrent. BitTorrent clients will use the tracker to get a list of other people doing the same torrent.

• Ultrapeer
  This is the equivalent of a G2 hub, but in the Gnutella network.