FAQ aMule-es

F.A.Q de aMule

por Jacobo221 (Traducido por KNO)

Incompleto

¿Qué es aMule?

aMule es un cliente multiplataforma para la red de compatición de archivos ED2K basado en el cliente de windows eMule.
aMule comenzó en Agosto de 2004 como una variante de xMule, que es una variante de lMule.

Actualmente soporta Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Windows, MacOS X adn X-Box en ordenadores de 32 y 64 bits. Hay que señalar que las versiones para MacOS X y Windows todavía no están preparadas para el uso general.

aMule pretende ser tan fácil de usar y con las mismas carácterísticas que eMule y pretende mantener la mísma estética que eMule, para que los usuarios familiarizados con aMule o eMule puedan cambiar entre ellos de forma fácil.

Como aMule está basado en el código de eMule, las nuevas carácterísticas de eMule que son añadidas a eMule pronto lo son también en aMule, así que sus usuarios pueden estár en la cresta de la ola en cuanto a clientes ED2K.

La merjor parte es, que está desarrollado por un gran equipo de desarrolladores que lo intentan hacer más fácil de usar (si es posible), asi que entra en el canal #amule de irc.freenode.net o visita de amule si tienes alguna sugerencia, pregunta, fallo, parche o cualquier otra cosa que pienses sobre el.

Si estás interesado en unirte al equípo de desarrollo por favor contacta con nostros a través de de amule o en el canal de IRC.

¿Cómo veo los créditos de un cliente?

Puedes ver los créditos de cualquier cliente (los créditos que tu le debes) pinchando con el botón derecho sobre su nombre y seleccionando "Mostrar Detalles". No se muestra un solo valor, si no que puedes ver el total de datos que el cliente te ha enviado o el Modificador de Créditos (DE/SU Modificador). En la misma ventana, si ese cliente está en tu cola de subida, puedes ver su Clasificación y Puntuación.

¿Qué significan los colores de la barra de progreso?

En la lista de descargas:
Rojo: Las Partes(Chunks) en rojo, son partes que no se han encontrado en la presente sesión.
Azul: Las Partes en azul son partes de las que se tiene al menos una fuente. Cuanto mas oscuro es el azul mas fuentes están disponibles.
Amarillo: Las Partes en amarillo son partes que están siendo descargadas en este mismo momento.
Negro: Las Partes en negro son partes que ya han sido descargadas y verificadas.
Verde: Cuando un archivo está en verde, significa que el archivo ha sido completamente descargado y correctamente verificado (asi que debe de estar en el directorio Incoming).
En la lista de transferencias extendida (se puede ver haciendo dobre click en una transferencia):
Negro: Parte que el cliente tiene y tú no.
Blanco: Parte que el cliente no tiene.
Verde: Parte que el cliente tiene y tú también.
Amarillo: Parte que te estás descargando de ese cliente.
En la lista de subidas:
Negro: El cliente ha completado y verificado esa parte.
Gris: El cliente no tiene esa parte..
Ten en cuenta que no todos los clientes soportan el decir a otros clientes que partes han completado cuando estan subiendo, asi que algunos clientes no tendrán barra.
On the shared files window:
Red: When there's no source found to have that same chunk (apart from you, of course).
Blue: The more solid the blue is, the more spread that chunk is.
On the search windows:
Negro: Files in Negro are those which only a client has been found to have.
Blue: Files in blue are those which two or more clients have been found to have. The more solid the blue is, the more clients have been found to have it.
Red: Files in red are those which are already in the downloading queue.
Green: Files in green are those which you are already sharing (you completely downloaded it).

What are all these icons?

[...]

What do all those numbers in the sources column in the transfers window mean?

The sources format is XX/YY + ZZ (WW) where
XX stands for the amount of available sources (the amount of sources found you can download from).
YY stands for the amount of found sources (the total amount of sources found)
ZZ stands for the number of "Asked for another file" sources
WW stands for the amount of sources from who you are currently downloading some chunk of that file.

Why are there two transfer rates in the uploading transfer list?

When you are uploading some file to some client, the uploading transfer list will show the transfer rate (speed in KBps) in which you are uploading to that client. If, at the same time, that client is uploading to you some file (or files), then the transfer rate's format will change to XX/YY where XX stands for the speed in which you are uploading to that client and YY will stand for the speed in which that client is uploading to you. If you search in the downloading transfers list you'll find that client.
This is useful if you are trying to get a rare file, since you can which file that client is uploading to you and, if it's the rare file, you can set him a friend slot so that you upload to that client faster and gain more credits on that clients (and consequently, download faster from the client).

What is the difference between Transfered and Completed in the Tranfers window?

Transfered shows the amount of data you have received concerning that file. This data is downloaded in a compressed format. Once the data gets to your machine, aMule processes it and decompresses it. The total useful data that can be taken from that received data (that is, the parts of that data which are actually real parts of the file you are trying to download and not headers or such stuff) is the amount that can be viewed in the Completed column.

What do are all those files aMule creates the first time it is run?

Most them are the same as eMule's. Here is a list and the meaning of each of them (have in mind that you might not have all of them on your hard disk):
~/.eMule: aMule's personal configuration (that is, things such as you nickname, your Temp and Incoming directories, your upload and download limits, and such...).
~/.aMule/addresses.dat: Contains a list of serverlist URLs to check (if enabled in Preferences) for new servers on startup.
~/.aMule/amulesig.dat: This is aMule's OnLineSignature file, which is the same as eMule's signature (see onlinesig.dat below) but with extended information (extended information includes nickname, session and total downloaded and uploaded bytes, aMule version, aMule uptime and number of shared files).
~/.aMule/aMule.tmpl: This is the template file which aMule WebServer uses to create the web page.
~/.aMule/aMule-online-sign.png: This file will only exist if CAS has been run sometime with the -o switch and ~/.aMule/casrc was successfully configured. It is an image containing details on aMule's status.
~/.aMule/casrc: This file will only exist if CAS has been run sometime with the -o switch. It contains the settings for the CAS image creation.
~/.aMule/clients.met: Contains the credits for the clients who have uploaded to you and the user hash of those clients.
~/.aMule/cryptkey.dat: It contains the unique 384 bit private RSA key of your client.
~/.aMule/emfriends.met: Contains your friends list configuration
~/.aMule/ipfilter.dat: This file contains the IP ranges and access levels restrictions which will be passed to ipfilter.
~/.aMule/Incoming: By default, the directory where aMule stores the completed downloads.
~/.aMule/known.met: This file stores the hash and some details of your shared files like size, path, statics, etc...
~/.aMule/lastversion: This is only for aMule to know if it's the first time you're starting aMule, if you had aMule installed before and which version you had installed previously.
~/.aMule/logfile: This file contains the log of the last aMule execution.
~/.aMule/muleconn: This file is a socket for aMule communications.
~/.aMule/onlinesig: This is an eMule compatible OnLineSignature file. It's used by other applications to know basic information on aMule's stat (if it's online, which server it's connected to, upload and download rate, and clients in queue).
~/.aMule/preferences.dat: Contains the user hash, which is a hash value the uniquely identifies you in the ED2K network and which is used to avoid cheating with credits and with friends lists.
~/.aMule/server.met: This is a list of all known servers and you're preferences on them (priority, name, ip, port and such).
~/.aMule/shareddir.dat: Stores the paths to all shared directories.
~/.aMule/Temp: By default, the directory where aMule stores the not completed downloads (temporary files).
~/.aMule/webserver: This directory contains the necessary files for aMule WebServer to display a nice Web page.
Other files on ~/.aMule/ are most surely backups of some of the above files.
Also, on the Temp directory (which is ~/.aMule/Temp by default but can be set to any other on Preferences), aMule will create, for each download three or four files):
*.part: This file contains the downloaded parts (not chunks, since not completed chunks are also stored here) of the download. As aMule is able to download from more than one user at the same time, this file has the size of the complete file. The missing parts are filled with zeros.
*.part.met: This file contains information on the downloaded parts of the download, the verified chunks, the hash values of the remaining chunks, etc...
*.part.met.bak: This are backups of the *.part.met files. Every now and then aMule creates this backups since without the *.part.met file, a download has no meaning for aMule. If any *.part.met file "disappeared, you should rename the *.part.met.bak to *.part.met.
*.part.met.seeds: This files only exist if you have enabled, in preferences, to store the some sources's IPs on rare files so that it can try to connect to those sources on next aMule execution. It contains exactly that, some sources to be able to connect later.

Can I use eMule's files and settings and viceversa?

Most of them yes. The only ones you can't share between aMule and eMule are the program configuration (that is, preferences.ini in eMule and ~/.eMule in aMule). All the ED2K network related files can be successfully shared between the two applications with no more effort than copying the files in ~/.aMule to the eMule's directory and viceversa. But have in mind that some files in ~/.aMule are aMule specific, such as amulesig.dat or aMule.tmpl, so it's better to only move those files that are in both the aMule and the eMule directory.

What is all that stuff in amulesig.dat and onlinesig.dat?

I guess you already read what amulesig.dat and onlinesig.dat are for above. So, this is the meaning of their contents (have in mind that if aMule crashes, the contents of both files will be the last written status):
onlinesig.dat
It is composed of two lines. The first one, when aMule is offline, will contain a 0 (zero) and nothing else, but when aMule is online, it'll contain a 1 (number one) followed by | (the pipe character) then the name of there server it's currently connected to followed by the pipe character, then the IP of the server it's currently connected to followed by the pipe character and finally the port it is connected to on that server.
The second line contains, in this order, the downloading rate, the uploading rate and the number of users on queue, with a pipe character between each of them and ended with an end of line character ('\n').
When aMule is cleanly closed the second line contains the same structure but filled with zeros, while the first line will only contain a single zero.
amulesig.dat
aMule's signature file is much more powerful than eMule's and has as much lines as fields. It's structure is:
The first line will contain a 0 (zero) if aMule is disconnected, connecting or has been cleanly closed, or a 1 (number 1) if it's online.
The second third and forth line contain the name, IP and port of the server aMule is connected to (in this order) or a zero if it's offline or cleanly closed.
The fifth line will contain an capital H or a capital L depending if aMule is connected on high or low ID. If aMule is disconnected or cleanly closed, this line will contain a zero.
The sixth and seventh lines contain the speed in which aMule is downloading and uploading respectively. Both lines contain "0.0" when aMule is cleanly closed.
The eighth and ninth lines contain the number of clients on the upload queue and the amount of shared files respectively. Both lines are aset to zero too when aMule is cleanly closed.
The tenth line contains the nickname of the user.
The eleventh and twelve lines contain the total amount of bytes downloaded and uploaded respectively.
The thirteenth line contains the aMule version.
The fourteenth and fifteenth line contains the amount of bytes downloaded and uploaded in the current session respectively.
The sixteenth (and last) line contains the amount of tie aMule has been running. It will be followed by a space and "secs" "mins" or "hours" depending on the value.
The last line must be followed by a new line character ('\n').

I just installed aMule for the first time. How do I set it up?

Setting up aMule properly is just a matter of tastes and depends on many factors. If you just wish a quick startup configuration, then continue reading.
Open aMule and click on the Preferences button. Set a nickname and the language in which you wish to have aMule. Then switch to the Connection tab and input your Line Capacities. Then input the Bandwidth Limits according to the maximum amount of bandwidth you want aMule to use. Then switch to the Directories tab and set a directory for both the temporary files (where files will be stored until they are completely downloaded) and the completed files. Finally, select the directories which you want to share. It is not recommended to share too much files. Read bellow "What are the best settings I can set to have a nice download rate". To select recursively all directories inside a certain directory, hold CTRL while clicking over the directory.

How do I start my aMule experience?

Just click on the Connect button. You should have some servers listed on the Servers window, though. If you have no servers listed, then click on the little button below the Connect button in the Servers window before clicking the Connect button. After some time, aMule will be connected to some server (you'll know because in the lower right corner the "Not connected" message will disappear). When connected, switch to the Search window and search for the file you want and once you find the file you want, double-click on it.
For general aMule usage, join aMule #amule in irc.freenode.net or ask in forums at http://www.amule.org/amule

What are the best settings I can set to have a nice download rate?

If you understood "Is there any limit on the ED2K network?" then you might have seen that, if your provider allows you, the best is to have the upload limit set to a minimum of 10 KBps. Also, if you understood "What is all that credits, rate and score stuff about?", you might also understand that the more you upload, the more you download, so take the upload limit up as much as you can, share well known and popular files (don't share too much (not more than approximately 200 files) or you'll get banned from some servers for giving too much traffic) and try to share small-sized popular files since some ED2K clients give extra credits for providing them a whole small-sized files. A good tip (thanks to kaouete) when you are trying to download some rare or "never completing" file, is, whenever you see someone uploading to you some chunk of that file, give that client a friend slot so that, if it tries to download something from you, it gets preference and you gain credits on that client.

Can I manage aMule remotely through telnet in the same way I do with eDonkey?

Yes you can, but not exactly in the same way as you do with eDonkey. Just start a normal telnetl session with the host computer (the one running aMule) and, once in, use amulecmd to take control over aMule. To start new downloads just use the ed2k command. Remember amulecmd must be configured.
Another aMule utility that might be of your interest is CAS (which's command is cas) which will show basic aMule statics.
Also, aMule WebServer might be what you are looking for if you can and don't mind using a web browser on the client computer. Have in mind that aMule WebBrowser must also be configured.

Is there any way to start aMule with no graphical interface?

aMule is a monolithic application. This means that core and GUI are a whole unsplittable block (although some efforts are already focused in splitting core from GUI). Even though, there's still a walkaround to run aMule on command line but it's not a direct way. You should run xvfb and then run aMule in it. Afterwards you can take control over aMule using amulecmd and ed2k in the same way as you would if you were accessing aMule remotely over telnet (see above). If you need help on this issue, ask at aMule's forums at http://www.amule.org/amule

Can I run two aMule instances at the same time?

Yes you can, although it is not recommended. aMule will only check if the concurrent user was is running some aMule instance, so you can run as much aMule instances as user accounts you have access too. To do this, just run xhost + and then su as another user and run aMule from that shell.
Be aware, since aMule can't check if a user is running aMule on another X display. So, if your account is already running some aMule instance in some other X display, do not run another aMule instance on another X display or you might end up with lost configuration settings and corrupt chunks.

How can I get those nice aMule statics some people post on the IRC channels?

You can either copy and paste CAS's (C aMule Statics) output (to execute CAS, run cas) or, if you use xChat as your IRC client and have the Perl module installed, you could use XAS (xChat aMule Statics).

What is a friend slot?

A friend slot is just a slot which is assigned to a client in the friends list. Only one friend can have a slot at the same time. Whenever that friend (who has the friend slot enabled) tries to download a file from you, it will be given highest priority in the uploads queue, since it has that slot always assigned. While that friend isn't downloading, that assigned slot will be given to any random client who might want to download from you.

What is the real point on setting up Line Capacities in Preferences? Shouldn't aMule only care for the Bandwidth Limits?

aMule really only cares for the Bandwidth Limits. Line Capacities are only set for the Statics display. Let's see: Imagine you have a 100KBps connection, imagine you want to set the Limit at 40KBps because you have a web server which needs a minimum of 60KBps to serve all the petitions. Now imagine you download rare indonesian free songs. You most surely never download at more than 3KBps ever. So, you could set Line Capacities at 5KBps so that the graph at Statics has some meaning, since if you set it up as a 100KBps connection, the graph will show an horizontal line with no meaning at all.