BitTorrent Protocol¤

Plugin Type: Protocol Source Location: plugins/protocols/peer_to_peer/bittorrent/

Overview¤

The BitTorrent Protocol plugin provides a peer-to-peer file sharing protocol implementation for PANTHER testing environments. It enables evaluation of distributed content delivery, tracker communication, piece selection strategies, and tit-for-tat bandwidth allocation in controlled network scenarios. This plugin is currently in development.

Configuration Options¤

protocols:
  - name: "bt_protocol"
    type: "protocol"
    implementation: "peer_to_peer/bittorrent"
    config:
      max_peers: 10             # Maximum number of peer connections
      download_rate: 100        # Download rate limit in KB/s
      upload_rate: 50           # Upload rate limit in KB/s
      piece_size: 262144        # Size of each piece in bytes (default: 256 KB)
      trackers:                 # List of trackers to use
        - "udp://tracker.example.com:80"

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`max_peers`	integer	10	Maximum number of peer connections
`download_rate`	integer	100	Download rate limit in KB/s
`upload_rate`	integer	50	Upload rate limit in KB/s
`piece_size`	integer	262144	Size of each piece in bytes
`trackers`	list	[]	List of tracker URLs

Usage Example¤

protocols:
  - name: "bt_client"
    type: "protocol"
    implementation: "peer_to_peer/bittorrent"
    config:
      max_peers: 15
      download_rate: 200
      upload_rate: 100

Integration¤

Integrates with PANTHER network environments for testing in varied network scenarios (high latency, limited bandwidth, partitions)
Supports peer churn simulation (peers joining and leaving rapidly)
Requires UDP/TCP traffic on configured ports for tracker communication
Can operate in both client and tracker modes

Troubleshooting¤

Issue	Solution
Connection timeouts	Ensure trackers are accessible and the network environment allows UDP/TCP traffic on required ports
Poor download speeds	Check bandwidth limits and ensure sufficient peers with the complete file are available
Tracker errors	Verify tracker URLs and ensure correct protocol (HTTP, HTTPS, or UDP)