add bittorrent download for ISOs on website

[mfc]

In order to provide more download options for users, as well as allow users to download ISOs faster, in low/intermittent bandwidth environments, with light verification, and reduce strain on our servers, we should provide bittorrent options for users to download the ISOs (and whatever else we think should be included in the torrent, like signed checksums #1077).

open trackers to use:
udp://tracker.torrent.eu.org:451 (used by Tails)
udp://tracker.coppersurfer.tk:6969 (used by Tails)
udp://tracker.openbittorrent.com:80 (used by burnbit)

references:
Tails: https://tails.boum.org/download/index.en.html
Whonix: https://www.whonix.org/wiki/VirtualBox#Download_Whonix

[marmarek]

There is already burnbit link at the bottom of downloads page. Not an
ideal, but at least something :)

Best Regards,
Marek Marczykowski-Górecki
Invisible Things Lab
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?

[marmarek]

There is already burnbit link at the bottom of downloads page. Not an
ideal, but at least something :)

Best Regards,
Marek Marczykowski-Górecki
Invisible Things Lab
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?

[mfc]

looking at the burnbit .torrent file, they are just using the openbittorrent.com tracker:

udp://tracker.openbittorrent.com:80

There is no need for the .torrent file itself to be hosted on a third-party site like burnbit, it should be hosted on ftp.qubes-os.org and kernel.org, downloaded over HTTPS etc.

We just make the torrent with a couple of open bittorrent trackers (since we have no need to host our own), and make sure there is at least one dedicated seed. We've already found three open bittorrent trackers that seem dependable (torrent.eu.org, coppersurfer.tk, openbittorrent.com) so we can go with those for redundancy purposes.

[mfc]

looking at the burnbit .torrent file, they are just using the openbittorrent.com tracker:

udp://tracker.openbittorrent.com:80

There is no need for the .torrent file itself to be hosted on a third-party site like burnbit, it should be hosted on ftp.qubes-os.org and kernel.org, downloaded over HTTPS etc.

We just make the torrent with a couple of open bittorrent trackers (since we have no need to host our own), and make sure there is at least one dedicated seed. We've already found three open bittorrent trackers that seem dependable (torrent.eu.org, coppersurfer.tk, openbittorrent.com) so we can go with those for redundancy purposes.

[andrewdavidwong]

reduce strain on our servers

This is less of a concern now that our ISOs are mirrored on mirrors.kernel.org, but of course it's also nice to have torrents available.

[andrewdavidwong]

reduce strain on our servers

This is less of a concern now that our ISOs are mirrored on mirrors.kernel.org, but of course it's also nice to have torrents available.

[mfc]

sure agreed. It is mostly for the other reasons that I think it is important from a usability point of view (for users with low/intermittent connections, want faster downloads, & light verification)

[mfc]

sure agreed. It is mostly for the other reasons that I think it is important from a usability point of view (for users with low/intermittent connections, want faster downloads, & light verification)

[andrewdavidwong]

So, what needs to be done to complete this ticket? @mfc, do you have links that I can add to the Downloads page? Or is the real issue that we want someone to create and seed the torrents? (If so, I think the doc label is inaccurate.)

[andrewdavidwong]

So, what needs to be done to complete this ticket? @mfc, do you have links that I can add to the Downloads page? Or is the real issue that we want someone to create and seed the torrents? (If so, I think the doc label is inaccurate.)

[mfc]

Or is the real issue that we want someone to create and seed the torrents?

yes, this. ideally during the process of uploading a new ISO to ftp and kernel, we would create a torrent with the ISO and signature file, including the following open trackers for redundancy:

• udp://tracker.torrent.eu.org:451
• udp://tracker.coppersurfer.tk:6969
• udp://tracker.openbittorrent.com:80

and host that torrent file on ftp and kernel.

[mfc]

Or is the real issue that we want someone to create and seed the torrents?

yes, this. ideally during the process of uploading a new ISO to ftp and kernel, we would create a torrent with the ISO and signature file, including the following open trackers for redundancy:

• udp://tracker.torrent.eu.org:451
• udp://tracker.coppersurfer.tk:6969
• udp://tracker.openbittorrent.com:80

and host that torrent file on ftp and kernel.

[marmarek]

Regarding seeding - burnbit.com uses HTTP for seeding, so as long as the
file is hosted somewhere, the torrent is also seeded. At least they
claims so :)

Best Regards,
Marek Marczykowski-Górecki
Invisible Things Lab
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?

[marmarek]

Regarding seeding - burnbit.com uses HTTP for seeding, so as long as the
file is hosted somewhere, the torrent is also seeded. At least they
claims so :)

Best Regards,
Marek Marczykowski-Górecki
Invisible Things Lab
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?

[marmarek]

Done

[marmarek]

Done

[mfc]

you are a hero Marek.

[mfc]

you are a hero Marek.