Crowdsource the Bandwidth 2

A guide for sharing a large file or folder using magnet links

If you're reading this, that means you've already read this, and you likely have a large amount of data, perhaps even sensitive or critical data, that you need to spread to the rest of the world. By the time you're done reading this, nobody will be able to stop you from getting that data out.

The torrent client I will be using for this guide is Transmission, which is available on Win7 and up, OS X, and Linux

NOTE: There are privacy concerns to consider if you're at risk of a cyberattack. Your IP address will be exposed to the leechers (people downloading the file from you). One way to protect yourself would be to create the torrent and seed while connected to public wifi, and only giving the magnet link to a trusted source, and when your trusted source has the complete file/folder, then remove the torrent from the list on your client. There are also many more possible ways to protect yourself, but they are beyond the scope of this guide.

Making a Magnet Link

Open Transmission
Click File>New
This will open the New Torrent Dialogue

• Save to: This is where you choose the location to save the .torrent file, which is basically a small map your client uses to describe the file/folder you are sharing. You can save this anywhere it won't be deleted.
• Source Folder: Use this option if you wish to share a folder. All the contents of the folder you select will be shared, including subfolders.
• Source File: Use this option if you want to share a single file.
• Trackers: This box is where you add the links that direct people to your torrent. Below is a list from here that you can copy/paste and will work for most purposes. You can add a single tracker or all listed (separated by a line), and if you receive an error, remove the unresponsive tracker denoted on the error screen.

udp://tracker.opentrackr.org:1337

udp://tracker.coppersurfer.tk:6969

udp://tracker.leechers-paradise.org:6969

udp://zer0day.ch:1337

udp://explodie.org:6969

• Comment: Put a comment here if you'd like.
• Private Torrent: Leave unchecked unless you know what you're doing.

Now click "New" and your torrent should be ready to share. If you get any errors, please refer back to the directions in the "Tracker" bullet point above. If it completed with no errors, you should now see the torrent listed on your client. Highlight your new torrent, Right-click>"Copy Magnet Link to Clipboard", and now all you have to do is paste that magnet link where everyone can see it.