Step-by-Step eMule Setup

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Phuzzy4242
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Step-by-Step eMule Setup

Post by Phuzzy4242 »   243 likes

[Moderator Edit June 2022: We now have an updated and more streamlined eMule setup guide that focuses particularly on using a VPN with port-forwarding in order to get HighID. While HighID is not absolutely necessary in eMule it is very useful. Formerly I changed my router settings to get HighID, but now I use a VPN with port-forwarding. Many other members do just fine with LowID. Both the original guide and our new version contain very useful information. -- Night457.

New guide here:
viewtopic.php?p=93814#p93814 ]

These instructions are a basic guide to setting up a fully-functional eMule. It's oriented towards Windows but the basic steps are the same for any operating system - I've installed eMule on Windows and Ubuntu Linux and the process is almost the same. If you're technically oriented, you can easily tell where you can deviate from these instructions to better meet your own needs.


STEP ONE - INSTALL EMULE

Download an eMule client. The standard client is probably best to start with - there are many "mods" (modified clients) that offer additional features. It's easy to change to a different mod later on. If you decide to use a mod from the start, leave its additional features alone until the basic system is working. You can download an actual installer that does the initial folder setup, or you can download an archive and manually extract the files where you want them. You'll use the latter method if/when you try a mod because you don't want to change your settings files and/or have to start over with credits (more about credits later).

Install the eMule client to its own folder. This can be on any hard drive with a couple MB space and can be a sub-folder (i.e. "c:\Program Files\eMule" or "e:\eMule") - it doesn't have to be on the same drive where you'll download files. If you manually extract the files from an archive, not the installer, make sure you keep the folder structure in the archive - there are various sub-folders that need to exist for everything to work correctly. You should make a shortcut to emule.exe on your desktop or Start Menu to make it easier to find.

STEP TWO - CONFIGURE IT

Run the eMule program. If this is your first time using eMule, a wizard will pop up so you can make the initial settings. I'm using v0.50a as an example - your version may be different. You can cancel the wizard and make all settings on the Options menu instead, but the wizard will let you change the most important settings right away. Whether you use the wizard or not, you'll still use the Options menu before actually going online.

The wizard's first screen lets you enter a user name. The default is "http://emule-project.net" but you should change this to something distinctive so other people can recognize you for things like "friend slots" (more on friend slots later). Make up a nickname - for privacy reasons it's best not to use your real name - and enter it here. Some eMule "communities" also put a short abbreviation inside brackets that allows certain mods to automatically give a download boost - if you know what the abbreviation is, put it either in front of or behind your nick (e.g. "MyNick [ABC]").

There are also two check boxes on this screen to have eMule automatically start when Windows starts and to automatically connect as soon as eMule starts. Leave these unchecked until you have eMule working correctly. Click Next.

The second wizard screen lets you enter the TCP and UDP ports you will use. There will be numbers already in these boxes. Please read the first paragraph of the next section for information about what should be put here. There is a button to use UPnP (Universal Plug-n-Play) to set these ports but it usually doesn’t work for me because of additional firewall settings on my system. There's also a button to test the two ports you've selected - leave it alone unless you've already opened these ports in your router and firewall (see next section). Click Next.

The third wizard screen has two options to let eMule manage upload and download priorities. Leave these alone for now. Click Next.

The next wizard screen lets you select protocol obfuscation. Many ISPs throttle (slow down) or completely block eMule and other P2P programs and this setting helps get around that. Select it and click Next.

The fifth wizard screen lets you pick which eMule networks to use - eD2K (eMule) and/or Kad (Kadmelia). These determine which network(s) are used by your client to find the files you want to download. There are some settings I'll explain later for how to make eMule "safer" - for now, leave them both checked. The other setting on this screen is whether to use Safe Connect or not. I recommend turning it on. If you have problems connecting later, you can always turn it off. Click Next. That completes the wizard - click Finish.

Select Options on eMule's main screen. There are several sections that must be set up correctly before actually going online. Unless otherwise mentioned, leave settings alone until you know what you're doing.

By default, there is a Temp folder in the main eMule folder where the parts of the files you're downloading will be stored. The Incoming folder is where files are moved once they're completely downloaded. I usually put both of these on a drive with lots of space in a folder of their own to make it easy to find them. Once you start using eMule, you'll want to preview partially-downloaded files to see if they're the actual files you wanted - just because a file is named "Let Me In (2010).avi" doesn't mean some jerk didn't rename a porn file, virus executable, or some other trash to get people to download it so his own credits get boosted.

If you want to change where these folders are located, first create them if they don't already exist, then go to Options and click on Directories. Change the Incoming and Temporary folders as needed, and add any other folders you want to share. In my case, I have Incoming as "e:\Incoming", and Temporary as "e:\Incoming\Temp". These folders are automatically shared. I have an additional shared folder called "e:\Shared" where I store everything I want to share with other eMulers. A separate folder for that is a good idea because it helps keep things you haven't looked at yet (Incoming) separate from what you have (Shared).

When you start receiving files, eMule allocates the total space for that file from the start – your hard drive needs enough space for twice the final size of that file when it completes - if you're low on hard drive space, eMule might not be able to complete the file. As you receive the chunks that make up a file, they're put in their correct positions inside the .part file in the Temp folder. When all the parts have arrived, the completed file is then moved to the Incoming folder.

Note: The web addresses for the various update files detailed below may be transient - use Google search to find sources for server.met, ipfilter.dat, nodes.dat, etc.

eMule is a P2P program and all P2P networks have been under attack by the stormtroopers of the RIAA and others. One way they catch people is to set up fake servers and log everyone who uses them. The following paragraphs detail how to make things safer.

The eMule community maintains lists of "safe" servers. In Options -> Server, uncheck "Auto-update server list at startup", uncheck "Update server list when connecting to a server", and uncheck "Update server list when a client connects". Click OK. Now click the Servers tab at the top of the eMule screen, right-click any server in the list and select "Remove All". Now type http://www.peerates.net/servers.php in the "Update server.Met from URL" box and click Update.

eMule can be set to block IP addresses and the community maintains blacklists. Go back to Options -> Security and enable "Filter servers too" under IP Filter. Type http://www.bluetack.co.uk/config/level1.gz in the "Update from URL" box and click Load.
[MODERATOR EDIT 3/4/2023 THIS SITE IS GONE. See here:
viewtopic.php?f=69&t=9897&hilit=http%3A ... t%20is%20a ]

In order to use Kad (Kademlia) for searches, you must have a nodes.dat file. This file is automatically updated when you connect to other eMule clients, but since Kad is "serverless" and you’ve never connected to anybody else yet, it must be "bootstrapped". (Note: you must be online for bootstrapping Kad to work and Kad must be enabled.) Go to the Kad tab at the top of the eMule screen and type http://download.tuxfamily.org/technosal ... /nodes.dat into the "Bootstrap from URL box" (make sure its radio button is selected) then click the Bootstrap button.

Other Settings - Go to eMule Options

General - Enter a User Name if you haven't already. Click the "Handle eD2K Links" button. If the button is grayed out, eMule is already set to handle eD2K links.

Display - Click "Auto clear completed downloads".

Connection - In "Capacities" enter the maximum download and upload speeds your internet connection can handle in KB (i.e. if your max. download is 1792 Kbits, divide by 8 and put 224 in the Download box). You should use no more than 80% of your maximum upload speed or both uploads and downloads will be drastically slowed down, so if your maximum upload speed is 56 KB, put 45 KB in the Upload box. Put check marks in both "Limits" boxes - you'll probably want to throttle eMule's data transfers when you use the Internet for other things - but for now, leave both sliders all the way up.

Files - Select "Try to download preview chunks first" and "Watch clipboard for eD2K file links". If you have a video player, type its commands in the correct boxes. I recommend VLC (www.videolan.org/vlc/) - it's free, open-source, and it works well right out of the box. Its command line might look something like c:\Program Files\VLC\vlc.exe. No Arguments are needed, and you should probably remove the check mark beside "Create backup to preview" - it's usually not needed and just uses time and disk space, albeit temporarily.

Security - We've already been here to filter server IPs, but you should make sure "Nobody" is selected in "See My Shared Files/Directories" because otherwise someone can look at and download ANY file in your shared folders. This might not be a good thing if you're sharing something exclusively for one person. For example, you add a file with home movies called D02943S.ZIP so you mother can download it - odds are that nobody will search a server or Kad for such an unusual filename, but someone browsing your shared folders might be intrigued by it and download it too.

Extended - You might want to enable "Check diskspace". Definitely set "Always" for "Safe .met/.dat file writing". I use "Never" in "Extract meta data".


THE NEXT SECTION IS IMPORTANT! PLEASE LOOK IT OVER CAREFULLY!


STEP THREE - OPEN ROUTER/FIREWALL PORTS

Your computer talks to the outside world through ports. Your web browser uses port 80, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) uses port 21, your mail program uses... you get the idea. eMule uses two ports. By default, these are 4661 for TCP and 4671 for UDP. It's usually better to NOT use the default ports because many ISPs block/filter/throttle them so your file transfers will be much slower or not work at all. Go to the Options menu in eMule and select Connection, then look at the TCP and UDP ports. Pick a couple oddball numbers in the 16000 range and put them in the TCP and UDP boxes - I use 16047 and 16062. WRITE THESE NUMBERS DOWN - you'll need them in a minute. You may need to exit eMule and start it up again to get it to use different ports.

At this point you could probably connect to the eMule network BUT you'll almost certainly have lowid. eMule will function without highid but transfers will be MUCH slower. Here's why...

When you request a file, eMule has to find other people who are sharing it. With lowid, you can't connect directly to other eMule clients, you must have a server between the two of you, and the servers have limited capacity. With highid, your client connects to multiple other clients simultaneously, so the parts of your file are found more easily and multiple people can feed you parts at the same time. Also, since you're "in queue", you must wait until you get to the front of its line before the other client will send you anything. eMule repeats a file request every 21 minutes - if it does it more often, your client may be "banned" as too aggressive - so if the other client isn't ready to send you something when your client asks, you have to wait again. With highid, the other client remembers your request and connects to your client immediately when you reach the front of its queue. If you're in many other clients' queues, you'll reach the front of someone else's queue more often so your transfers will finish sooner.

So, it's important to get highid. The major reason for lowid is your router and/or firewall blocking the ports eMule uses. Routers almost always have the "standard" ports like 80 open by default. Since you're using non-standard ports, you have to tell your router and firewall to let data through them. This is usually called port-forwarding.

It's impossible to give a short one-size-fits-all description of how to do this because every router and firewall is different. There are several sources on the web for programming your router and firewall to forward the ports eMule uses such as www.portforward.com. There is also a good free program at www.simpleportforwarding.com that makes it easy to set up your router, firewall, and computer networking.

You need your PC's network (IP) address, the TCP and UDP ports eMule is using, and your router's IP address and login information. Also, your computer's IP needs to be "static" - this means it doesn't change every time you turn it on.

In Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7, you can find out your computer's IP address by going to a command prompt. Press the Windows key and R at the same time to open the Run window (or click Start -> Run). Type "cmd" without quotes and click OK to open a command window. Now type "ipconfig /all" without the quotes. You'll be shown a lot of information about your network settings. The important info is your computer's IP address, whether it's static or dynamic, and your router's IP address.

Look for "IP Address" or "IPv4 Address" and write it down (it'll probably be something like 192.168.1.5). Find "Subnet Mask" and write it down (it'll probably be 255.255.255.0). Find "Default Gateway" and write it down (it will probably be something like 192.168.1.1). Also look for "DHCP Enabled" - if "Yes", your PC is using a dynamic IP address instead of a static one. Your PC needs to keep the same IP address because port-forwarding in your router only opens those ports for THAT address. If your PC's address changes, it won't be able to use those opened port and you'll have lowid again.

Do the following to set your IP address to static (be aware that some computers may want you to reboot if you change your IP address):

In Windows XP go to Control Panel -> Network Connections. Right-click on your network adapter and choose Properties, then select Internet Protocol. Select "Use the following IP address" and fill in the IP address, Subnet mask, and Default gateway with the information you wrote down, then click the OK button.

In Windows 7 go to Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> Network and Sharing Center -> Change adapter settings. Right-click on your network adapter and choose Properties, then select Internet Protocol Version 4. Select "Use the following IP address" and fill in the IP address, Subnet mask, and Default gateway with the information you wrote down, then click the OK button.

Now that your computer has a static IP address, you need to program your router to open the ports eMule will use. Most routers are programmed by using your web browser (i.e. Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.). Type the router's IP address in the Address box (where you'd normally type web page addresses) in the browser. You will probably be asked for a user name and password - this info came with your router. You can also use Google to look up the default user name and password.

At this point, I can't give specific instructions because every router's menus are different. Look for something like "DMZ", firewall, ports, or something that might relate to opening up ports. You need to allow network traffic in and out on both the TCP and UDP ports you specified in eMule. Again, look at the information on www.portforward.com or use a program from www.simpleportforwarding.com or one like it. Some eMule mods have a place to select UPnP (Universal Plug-n-Play) that is supposed to automatically set your router to open those ports but I've never had good luck making that work - your mileage may vary.

The last piece of the highid connection puzzle is the firewall. Windows has its own firewall aside from the one in the router, and your computer may have a software firewall in its antivirus program or a separate program like ZoneAlarm Pro, Comodo Firewall Pro, etc. Software firewalls usually pop up and ask you to allow activity on a port the first time it's accessed. To manually set your firewall to allow the two ports eMule uses, you'll need to check its help file or documentation - each is different so I can't give specific instructions. If you DON'T have another firewall program, either turn Windows Firewall on (it's better than nothing) or get a firewall program - there are several very good free ones available.

Windows' firewall isn't great but it's there and unless you've turned it completely off (NOT recommended if you don't have another firewall installed), you might have to tell it to allow eMule's ports to pass data. To manually set Windows XP's firewall, go to Control Panel -> Windows Firewall. If it's turned off AND you have another firewall program installed, just click Cancel - you don't need to do anything more here.

Click the Exceptions tab, type in a name like eMule TCP, type in the port number for eMule's TCP port, then click OK. Do the same for the UDP port (select the UDP radio button on that screen) using a name like eMule UDP. You don't usually need to select the "Change scope" button because it defaults to any computer. That's all there is to it.


STEP FOUR - CONNECTING

At this point, you're ready to connect and start downloading. Click the Servers tab at the top of eMule to show the information window, then click the Connect tab. You should also look at the globe in the bottom of the screen - red arrow means not connected, yellow arrow means lowid, and green arrow means highid. The upward-pointing arrow is for the eD2K network and the other is for Kad - they'll also state "Connected" or "Not Connected". Hopefully you'll see two green arrows but you can still use eMule if one or both are yellow. The "My Info" panel tells about your connection status, and the "Log" tab shows info about your server and general eMule status. Everything green? Then continue to the next step, otherwise go back to STEP THREE and try to find the problem.


STEP FIVE - SHARING

eMule is all about sharing - the more you share, the faster you download stuff you want. When people download from you, you get "credits". The more credits you have, the quicker you move to the start of the line for downloading. Files you are currently downloading are automatically shared to help distribute the parts faster - if five people are downloading a new file, each will get parts the others haven't gotten yet, then they share those parts among themselves until everybody has all the parts, and in less time than if each had to download the entire file from the single initial source. eMule will download multiple parts of multiple files from multiple clients all at the same time.

eMule uses a queue system - a single computer has only so much bandwidth to go around at any one time so people have to wait in line. eMule transfers about 9.28 MB (9728000 bytes aka 9500 KB) at a time then switches to the next client in queue, and you get back in line and wait your turn again. Your position in line depends on several things, among them your points, your upload/download ratio, how many other people are in queue, highid/lowid, etc. The more you upload, the faster you move up in queue. The more files you have shared and the more popular they are, the more people will download from you, your points will raise, and you'll advance in queue faster than someone who doesn't share. Also, people who know you can give you a "friend slot" which both moves you closer to the head of the line and lets eMule send more than just 9.28 MB at a time (and of course you can do the same for them).

Copy some files to your shared folders! I repeat, copy some files to your shared folders! They don't have to be new, they don't have to be big, they don't have to be blockbusters, they just have to be there and be something other people might want. If you don't share anything, your downloads will be much slower.

If you copy files into your shared folder while eMule is NOT running, they'll be "hashed" as soon as it starts. If eMule is running when you copy the files, go to the Shared Files tab at the top of the eMule window, then click the Reload button. eMule calculates a "hash" value for every shared file based on the file's contents, and this is how it knows what file to request and whether it receives all its parts correctly. The file's name is irrelevant to eMule as long as the hash matches and it's very unlikely that two different files will have the same hash. For a description of file hashing, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed2k_URI_scheme. A typical eMule link on a web page looks like this:
When you click this link in your Internet browser or paste it directly into eMule, your client starts searching servers and/or clients in its node list for that hash. When it finds one or more clients that have parts to the file, it requests it from them. When your request reaches the front of a queue, that client starts sending it to you. If multiple clients have the same file, each sends parts the others aren't sending (and you don't already have) until the complete file is in your Temp folder, after which it gets moved to the Incoming folder. Meanwhile, other clients may be downloading parts of the same file from you that they don't have. During this whole process, each part you receive is compared to the hash in the link - any part that doesn't match is requested again so the final file is identical to the original, no matter what the filename is or how many people contributed chunks of it to you.
katzenjammer
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Re: Step-by-Step eMule Setup

Post by katzenjammer »   0 likes

Great job done, Phuzzy4242
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Phuzzy4242
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Re: Step-by-Step eMule Setup

Post by Phuzzy4242 »   0 likes

Thanks katzenjammer.

Everyone, please let me know of errors or omissions. We've answered these same questions over and over so many times, I thought if we had them all in one place it might make it easier. If they're shite, tell me that too.
BizarreLoveTriangle
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Re: Step-by-Step eMule Setup

Post by BizarreLoveTriangle »   0 likes

Wow :eyecrazy

Nobody has an excuse for not using eMule now :thumbsup
katzenjammer
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Re: Step-by-Step eMule Setup

Post by katzenjammer »   0 likes

*whiners lame excuse*: there are no screenshots to show the settings windows... buhu ;)
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Phuzzy4242
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Re: Step-by-Step eMule Setup

Post by Phuzzy4242 »   1 likes

Here's a "screen shot" for the whiners. :)
[Image]
blip
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Re: Step-by-Step eMule Setup

Post by blip »   0 likes

Nice screen shot phuzzy. Many thanks for your post.

I know it must have taken some time for your instructions.

:cool
BizarreLoveTriangle
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Re: Step-by-Step eMule Setup

Post by BizarreLoveTriangle »   35 likes

Phuzzy4242 wrote:A typical eMule link on a web page looks like this:

Like this post to see ed2k links  [14.30 Mb]
No sources? :think
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Phuzzy4242
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Re: Step-by-Step eMule Setup

Post by Phuzzy4242 »   39 likes

BizarreLoveTriangle wrote:
Phuzzy4242 wrote:A typical eMule link on a web page looks like this:

Like this post to see ed2k links  [14.30 Mb]
No sources? :think
That was the link in the Wikipedia explanation of eMule's URL scheme at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed2k_URI_scheme - I just took it verbatim from the Wiki page. I should have put it inside the BB "code" commands but I wrote everything in a text editor and just pasted it into the FLM message. I fixed it now.
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vidman49
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Re: Step-by-Step eMule Setup

Post by vidman49 »   0 likes

Wow, Phuzzy, that was some work of art. I was wondering if you would be able to put together similar type instructions on how to share a movie on the site. I have only been a member for a few weeks, but I would like to share a few movies instead of just taking from the site. (I have been downloading like crazy ever since ForAnAngel told me about this site). I have gone through a lot of the forum, but still don't know what & how to do it. I am somewhat computer illiterate, so I would need detailed instructions like what you did for setting emule up. I think I understand how to put the files into a shared folder - but how do I submit it?

A second set of instructions on how to rip from a DVD to share on the site would also be helpful. I have a number of movies on DVD (both PAL and NTSC) that I have collected over the years that I have not seen listed on the site. Most of what I would be able to contribute are on DVD now, so until I can figure out how to rip them, I would only have a small amount I would be able to share now.

Thanks for any help or suggestions.
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