Analyzing Decentralized Network Protocol
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- Download the BitTorrent software from the given link https://www.bittorrent.com/
Then open your torrent file and start the download at least 20%. Stop the capture and document the answers tothe following questions:
Give a detailed study about the working of BitTorrent in your downloading scenario.
Working of BitTorrent:
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A computer joins a BitTorrent network by loading a torrent file into the BitTorrent client.
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BitTorrent network contacts a tracker specified in the torrent file. This tracker contains a special server keeping a track of all connected computers.
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The BitTorrent client then downloads the bits of files in the torrent.
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The BitTorrent clients then upload that data to other BitTorrent.
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This creates a huge swarm of BitTorrent downloading and uploading the same torrent.
Protocol Level Analysis:
BitTorrent peer-to-peer (P2P) protocol finds users with files other users want and then downloads pieces of the files from those users simultaneously. Consequently, transmission rates are faster than with http and ftp, which both download files sequentially from only one source.
Tracker’s status:
The "tracker" of a P2P system is used to lookup which peers hold (or partially hold) a given object. There are various designs for the tracker function, from a single-server tracker, to multiple-server tracker system, to DHT-based serverless systems.
DHT status:
The Distributed Hash Table (DHT) network is a feature in uTorrent that allows us to download torrents from other users who have not shared their torrent file. By enabling DHT, we can improve the stability of the torrent downloads and increase the number of sources for our file.
Identify other peers involved in the communication:
Try to identify the name of the file downloaded.
In the filter, we can filter out 200-OK responses and see the data of the website.
We can also see metadata of the file being transferred in the form of hash in the UDP filter
Try to export the 20% of data you have captured as traffic in Wireshark while downloading files in Torrent.
(i) After the Download completes and when it starts seeding, open the Wireshark and analyze the information being transferred in that traffic. Document the difference in Network traffic.
Seeders mainly upload pieces of the file to other peers, and the uploading traffic is usually more consistent.