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Home >> Articles >> Technology
Starting Your Own P2P Network - Revisited
March 08, 2004
A while back I wrote an article called "Hey Kids, Wanna Start Your Own Peer-To-Peer Network?", which was a tutorial for starting your own Direct Connect hub.
Times have changed, and the NeoModus hub software is vastly inferior to recent hub software. So if you would like to set up a private (or public) peer-to-peer network for your friends, family, co-workers, etc, just follow this simple tutorial.
All you need is a constant Internet connection (cable, ADSL, etc) and the hub software for Windows.
1. Download Yoshi-hub, the latest and greatest in Direct Connect Hub technology
Download Yoshi Hub (also known as Yhub).
Save yhub.zip to any directory, and extract the files from the archive. There is no install program.
Once you have extracted the files, just double-click on the Yhub icon. (The little green dinosaur)
I have pre-configured Yhub for you, with optimal settings. Congratulations, your hub is now running!
2. Make sure port 411 is open
I have pre-configured Yhub to use port 411, so it needs to be open on your computer for people to connect to your hub.
If you have any firewall software, open port 411.
If you are running Windows XP, make sure port 411 is open on the internal XP firewall.
There is a tutorial at http://www.mishscript.de/ircguide/appb1.htm that can show you how to configure your XP firewall.
If you are behind a router (not using the computer with the actual ADSL or Cable modem) then you will need to forward port 411 to your machine. It's much easier to just put Yhub on the server machine!
Try the 'Shield's Up' test at Gibson Research to see if port 411 is open. Click on 'proceed' and then 'all service ports'. Port 411 should be colored red (open) and all your other ports should be green (stealthed).
3. Okay, port 411 is open. Now what?
Go to www.WhatIsMyIP.com and it will tell you your computer's IP address.
This is the address you are going to tell your friends, family, co-workers, or whoever you want to join your hub.
Let's pretend the address is 68.89.223.146
You would tell your friends to connect to:
68.89.223.146:411
The :411 is added to the end, because 411 is your port number. Note the colon. Make sure you type it exactly as stated above, substituting your own IP address of course.
4. Okay, but how do my friends use that address?
They simply need a Direct Connect client. The best one currently available is BCDC++ 0.306
Before you tell your friends to try it out, you should try connecting first! So, download BCDC++ 0.306 and place BCDC.zip in any directory you want.
Extract the files from BCDC.zip and double click on the DCPlusPlus icon to start your client.
5. Testing your hub, using BCDC++
Okay, start the BCDC++ client, and click on 'Favorite Hubs' (bottom left)
Highlight the hub called 'Your Hub' and right-click on it. Select 'properties'.
The only thing you should have to fill in is the address. This is the address you discovered in step 3. It should just simply be:
68.89.223.146:411
With your own IP address substituted for 68.89.223.146 (that one is just an example)
I have already created an account for you called operator in your Yhub server software, so you can just press OK. (The password is also operator, and is filled in for you already as well).
Now you can right click on 'Your Hub' again, and this time select 'Connect'. If all goes well you should now be connected to your hub!
If you can't connect, make sure that:
- You are running the Yhub server software.
- You have port 411 open. (Make sure a firewall or router isn't blocking it)
6. Ok, now what?
Now you should tell your friends to download the BCDC++ client and they can follow the instructions from Step 4 to help them configure it.
Just tell them to connect to 68.89.223.146:411 (substituting your own ip address of course)
Before they connect, you will have to create an account for them in Yhub though. Go into your Yhub software and click on 'Accounts'
Change the profile name to 'NameReg' and type in a username and password for your friend. (The 'owner' field doesn't really matter). Change the profile to OP if you want to make them an Operator (more privileges). Click on 'Add/Save'.
Make sure they enter this same username and password in their BCDC++ client. Yours was already filled out (operator/operator) but they need to enter their own.
If you want to make your hub public, meaning anyone can connect (no usernames or passwords required) you just go into your Yhub software and click on 'Hub settings' .
Take the checkmark off of 'Allow registered users only' and click 'save all to disk'. Now anyone can join, and you don't have to set up accounts for them.
To start sharing files, go into BCDC++ click on File -> Settings -> Sharing and add some folders. Explore the options in BCDC++.
As for the Yhub software, check out the options in there as well.
In your BCDC++ client, right click on the user named -YHub- and choose 'send private message'. This is your Yhub bot, and is used to help you run your hub.
Send the following message to -Yhub-
§help
Which will bring up a list of commands that you can use to administrate your hub.
Helpful hint: If you go into the directory where you placed Yhub, you will notice a sub-directory called texts. Edit the file called motd.txt This is your 'message of the day' which users see when they connect to your hub. (You need to click on 'reload textfiles' from the control menu of Yhub before it will take effect.
You can also create new text files. Make one called blah.txt Now, if your users type +blah they will see whatever is inside blah.txt
(Again, you need to click on 'reload textfiles' from the control menu of Yhub before this will take effect)
Hopefully this helps you get started in running your own hub. If you want some live help in testing your hub to see if it's working, check out my Contact page and add me to your favorite instant messenger, or e-mail me at chris@chrismyden.com
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