Which config files to save when switching from aMule v2.3.3 to v3 to don't lose my credits?

[garret]

I have been running aMule 2.3.3 for many years through the https://github.com/ngosang/docker-amule docker image. Now that it has been updated to the v3, it was recommended to "create new amule.conf and remote.conf files with default values".

I went even further and just backed up my 2.3.3 config folder and created a new empty folder for the v3 to start with a clean slate.

However, I remember with the old eMule it was important to don't lose some config files since they would allow me to get kind of a "higher ID" and download faster from other clients considering I have been sharing for many years. For example, on this website it is mentioned to save:

• clients.met
• cryptkey.dat
• preferences.dat
• preferencesKad.dat

Would you agree that it would be totally safe (so no conflicts with new aMule version) to just bring these files from my 2.3.3 config into the new v3 config to get my "credits back"? Or there should be even more?

[got3nks]

Good question, and there's one important distinction to clear up first: credits and "HighID" are two different things.

• HighID vs LowID is purely about connectivity — whether other clients can open an incoming connection to you (your port is reachable, you're not behind a restrictive NAT/firewall). It's decided fresh every session by the server/Kad, it isn't stored in any file, and it has nothing to do with how long you've shared. No file will "give back" a HighID — that's a port-forwarding/NAT matter.
• Credits are the reciprocal reward system you're thinking of: every client you upload to remembers how much you sent them and gives you a better queue position when you later download from them. That is what those files preserve.

For credits, the files you listed are the right set, and they're safe to copy straight from 2.3.3 into your v3 config — the on-disk formats are unchanged, so there are no conflicts:

• cryptkey.dat — the important one. It's your RSA "secure identity" keypair. The credits you earned actually live on the other peers' machines, tied to your public key; when you reconnect they verify you with this key and apply the credits they owe you. Lose cryptkey.dat and every peer treats you as a brand-new client — that's how you'd lose your credits. Keep this above all.
• clients.met — your local credit ledger (how much each peer has sent you, so you reward them). Worth keeping to preserve your side of those relationships.
• preferences.dat — holds your user hash (client identity). Keep it for continuity.
• preferencesKad.dat — holds your Kad ID. Not credit-related, but keep it so your Kad identity/position stays stable.

That's the complete set — you don't need anything more for credits. (known.met, *.part files, and so on are about your shares and downloads, not credits.)

One practical tip: copy those files into the new config folder while aMule is stopped, before the first v3 start, so they're loaded rather than overwritten by freshly-generated ones. The "create fresh amule.conf / remote.conf" advice you got is about the settings/EC files, which is fully compatible with bringing these identity/credit .dat files alongside.