Stuff like this is why I usually go for network namespaces + (wireguard / socks / iptables) when I need to isolate traffic.
> The tracker in question that I wanted to get this working for explicitly forbids running development builds of approved BitTorrent clients.
Also didn't realize trackers were that strict about clients. I've seen some ban buggy versions / sketchy clients (usually cloud-based or for mobile), but that's usually a for-your-own-good type thing. Major names like QBT are usually fine regardless of version.
tonytamps 3 hours ago [-]
The private torrent site crowd are very restrictive on which clients are allowed and even big names like qBit aren't safe enough to assume the version is allowed.
xdfgh1112 3 hours ago [-]
Although the identification is literally just a string you send when connecting, easy to spoof.
papyrus9244 2 hours ago [-]
I've never looked at the source code of a PT, but my understanding is that they also implement heuristics to detect strange behaviors, i.e. clients trying to fake their ratio.
maeln 3 minutes ago [-]
Not all of them do, but yes. Since it is the client who send all the info (bytes sent/received, version, etc), anything can be spoofed.
The tracker, having access to the stats of all the client on a specific torrent can find "unusual" client (for example, a client that report a lot of bytes sent while no other client report downloading/receiving anything, or the opposite). But due do quirks of the networks, delay and possible lost stats messages, they still have to be pretty permissive of small discrepancies. Also, all use an ID in the tracker url for each client to discriminate them and associate them with their account on the website. And some are not very careful about the ID generation algorithm, leading to being easily able to find other account peer ID, and so you can use them to download to preserve your ratio. I even found at least one private tracker that did not care if you passed a non-existent peer ID.
dns_snek 2 hours ago [-]
That part is just for your own protection - these are almost always private trackers with ratio requirements.
If you spoof the client name and your client ends up misbehaving/misreporting you'll just get banned for cheating.
dahrkael 2 hours ago [-]
i was expecting a more hands on explanation of what the client sends and what the tracker responds but this post is quite abstract for a technical issue.
from what i read in the PR the qBT fix is to just ignore the proxy on the listening side of things but that doesnt explain the issue
eptcyka 2 hours ago [-]
The headline, whilst true to the author, makes no sense. Announces is a verb, announcements is a noun.
debugnik 2 hours ago [-]
A quick search shows me that "annouce" is sometimes used as a noun in the context of bittorrent for some reason.
papyrus9244 2 hours ago [-]
Because it's a type of message, just like "GET" in the context of HTTP.
Mathnerd314 4 hours ago [-]
Sounds like a very restrictive tracker... but I guess the more restrictive, the more likely it has good stuff. Seems kind of strange though because most trackers I have seen just completely ban any sort of proxy or VPN.
orliesaurus 3 hours ago [-]
why ban VPN? what about seedboxes?
dns_snek 2 hours ago [-]
They usually ban VPNs for website use but allow them for seedboxes (sometimes requiring approval). The rationale is to stop account sharing and ban evasion.
charcircuit 3 hours ago [-]
>why ban VPN?
It's harder to ban people if you allow using VPNs.
xdfgh1112 3 hours ago [-]
Private trackers have no open registration. If they ban you at the account level then it's pretty hard to get back in.
charcircuit 2 hours ago [-]
>then it's pretty hard to get back in.
It's really not. Even if they aren't recruiting new members you can buy an account or invites. You could also prepare alternate accounts ahead of time.
seg_lol 3 hours ago [-]
Is it because of some game theoretic information exposure? Or is this more about that you can't trust any of the VPN providers.
diftr 2 hours ago [-]
All that and he didn't even test it with the tracker in the end? What an anticlimax.
immibis 1 hours ago [-]
Since you're already using a proxy, you can have the proxy change the parameters, and then you are not modifying the client.
Rendered at 08:13:04 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) with Vercel.
> The tracker in question that I wanted to get this working for explicitly forbids running development builds of approved BitTorrent clients.
Also didn't realize trackers were that strict about clients. I've seen some ban buggy versions / sketchy clients (usually cloud-based or for mobile), but that's usually a for-your-own-good type thing. Major names like QBT are usually fine regardless of version.
If you spoof the client name and your client ends up misbehaving/misreporting you'll just get banned for cheating.
It's harder to ban people if you allow using VPNs.
It's really not. Even if they aren't recruiting new members you can buy an account or invites. You could also prepare alternate accounts ahead of time.