May 03, 2008 by sharky
TorrentFlux is extremely versatile, user-friendly, and intuitive - not to mention simple to use. All torrents are easily managed in a web-based environment, from any computer. The question is - are you able to do it yourself; or is it better off to just opt for a TorrentFlux Hosting Company?
TorrentFlux - “Do-it-Yourself” vs. “Pre-configured”
In short, there are two ways to incorporate TorrentFlux to manage your torrents through a seedbox. You can:
1. The “Do-it-yourself” Method:
If preferred, you can find your own seedbox hosting company and set up TorrentFlux yourself - just be sure to ask about their torrent policies & ToS. Not all companies will allow torrents, and even fewer will allow illegal material to be hosted. The ’setup’ learning curve here is quite high, and not recommended for torrenters who have little experience with CPanel/Plesk, MySQL and PHP (web backends) - although some hosts will install the TorrentFlux script for you - this is undoubtedly not free. And VPN (shared) is likely out of the question - you’ll be shelling out big bucks for a dedicated server.
2. Use a pre-configured Seedbox / TorrentFlux Hosting service:
An increasing number of seedbox providers are offering the TorrentFlux interface pre-installed alongside the seedbox. Not only will you be assured that torrent activity is condoned on their servers, it’s in fact encouraged and is at the backbone of their service - with no setup required.
‘TorrentFlux Hosting’ Services - Shop Around
Due caution should be used when selecting a TorrentFlux Hosting plan. There are a variety of configurations - ideally it’s important to opt for a service that will host your needs. Things to consider are:
- • Monthly Bandwidth Limit
- • Memory / Hard Disk Space
- • Number of Allowable Torrents
- • Multiple Accounts
- • FTP / HTTP Transferring
- • Speeds / Unmetered
- • Read ‘The Fine Print’
Monthly Bandwidth
This is one of the most important things to consider when settling for a plan. Due to the incredibly high speed of seedboxes, it is very easy to use up all of your monthly bandwidth allotment in a single day. If this happens, you’ll be stuck having to purchase more “overage” bandwidth on-the-fly or have to upgrade to a more expensive account. It may end up costing you more in the end than if you went with a service that has unlimited bandwidth. This is especially true of users who seed popular torrents and aren’t closely monitoring the traffic and settings. For this, we highly recommend using a service that offers unlimited bandwidth.
For example, an account with a 50GB cap, you’ll only be able to download and seed just one 4.35 GB DVD-R to a 1 : 10.5 ratio. Or two to a 1 : 4.75 ratio each. Or three DVD-Rs to 1 : 2.83. All things told, you’ll only be able to seed less than 6 DVD-Rs to a 1:1 ratio. And that’s in a best-case scenario.
Memory / Hard Disk Space
Memory/RAM — RAM goes hand-in-hand with the maximum global connection settings - the more RAM; the more allowable global connections (in the settings). This is something to be experimented with by each seedbox owner; there is a sweet spot to be had that varies depending on the type of activity someone engages in with their account. We recommend a minimum of 150 MB of memory for multiple torrents.
Hard Disk Space — Obviously, if you fill up your account’s hard disk limit, you’ll need to delete some of the seeding torrents. An account with a paltry 5GB limit will only allow you to download/seed one DVD-R at a time - and you’ll have to delete it (and the files) from your server before adding any other (large) torrents. 50 GB, on the other hand, is more than enough space for most seedbox users.
Number of Allowable Torrents
The more the better. Services that offer only one or two torrents means that you’ll be busy shifting stuff around and deleting torrents all the time. This makes it more difficult to maintain good sharing ratios on multiple private accounts. “Active” torrents means the amount of torrents that can be running (uploading or downloading) at the same time.
Multiple Accounts
Some TorrentFlux Hosting providers allow their owners to create multiple sub-accounts. This is particularly handy for the more expensive services - you’ll be able to add users (friends) to your account and split the monthly costs.
FTP / HTTP Transfers
You’ll need a way to get your files out of your server and onto your PC. All will allow owners to download the files locally using a web browser or FTP/SFTP/RSYNC from your server. Check to see which one they support, and if it’s right for you.
Speeds / Unmetered
An unmetered account on a 100Mbit/sec connection works best, and is assumed to be the standard protocol. Check to see what the “sustained” and “burst” speeds are (if applicable). ‘Average’ upload / download speeds can run anywhere between 400 and 10,000 KB/s.
Read the Fine Print in the services
Watch out for hidden restrictions - like anything else - you get what you pay for. Some seedbox providers will only allow seeding back to 100%, especially in the cheaper plans. This will not help you do any serious seeding, as a best-case scenario would only allow you to achieve a 1:1 sharing ratio for a torrent. Others may put a cap on the uploading bandwidth to 300 KB/s, so you’ll have to carefully monitor and adjust your download settings accordingly.
Coming up Next: A review & comparison of seedbox services with TorrentFlux Hosting.
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