aMule Forum
English => aMule Help => Topic started by: buffyslay on October 27, 2008, 08:59:31 AM
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My download arrow always stays on red meaning I'm 'currently not connected', yet I can still download. How is this possible? Is the connected status inaccurate? Ports 4662 and 4672 are forwarded in my router ('Port Configuration Tester' reports 'Success' for port 4662, but 'Unavailable' for port 4672). I've checked with my ISP and they say they do not block any ports nor do I have any firewalls set up, but even if this were the issue the arrow would be yellow (low ID) and in my case its not even getting to that stage. Is it possible an aMule preference file may have become corrupted (how would I know?) and if so could it explain my download status being reported as 'currently not connected' when quite obviously I am and why does 'Port Configuration Tester' report port 4672 as being unavailable?
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First of all, there's no download arrow. The icon you're talking about contains two arrows: one tells you if you are connected (and how: low or high ID) to the ED2K network, the other tells you the same for the Kad network. The fact that you still can download is because aMule still knows some sources (from previous download sessions or because you added a download via an ed2k link with sources). Being connected to the ED2K or Kad network is only necessary to find sources that have the file you want to download. After aMule receives the sources you might as well disconnect (although you will miss new sources in that case, so I wouldn't recommend it).
That port 4672 is unavailable is probably because the test only tests if it can connect to the port via the TCP protocol, while for port 4672 the UDP protocol is used.
As for the not connected part. It probably means that you're not connected to the ED2K and/or the Kad network. Did you click the "Connect" button in aMule's upper left corner and do you have any servers listed in the "Networks" tab?
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If I understand correctly the globe icon with the wrap around arrows does not measure your upload/download speed/status (which is what I always understood the icon to mean), but whether you can connect to the ED2K/Kad network to search for sources. Certainly the two arrows next to the displayed 'UP: / Down: ' rates are always green (and the numbers are fairly high) so my issue then is not that I can't download, but that I can't search for sources.
I have the following servers in my server list:
eDonkeyServer No1
eDonkeyServer No2
Sharing Kingdom 1
Sharing Kingdom 2
Sharing Kingdom 3
Sharing Kingdom 4
As I understand these are the six top servers. Normally aMule will connect to 'Sharing Kingdom 1', but even when I force it to connect to 'eDonkeyServer No1' (which migh have over 80000000+ files) and I do a search (on anything) I barely get any results. In fact more often than not I get no results returned (Global Search) and I find it hard to believe out of 80000000+ files there's not even one match to my search criteria.
The question then is why can't I achieve optimal connection to any of the servers in my server list. As I said both port 4662 and 4672 are correctly configured in my router (so its a mystery why 'Port Configuration Tester' says port 4672 is 'Unavailable') and my ISP doesn't block any ports and I have no firewalls set up.
The sources I'm currently downloading from are from when my searchs did work and returned hundreds of results so I guess you're right when you say once aMule knows the sources it can download files without having to be connected to the server, but why can't I connect? If you eliminate the ports being incorrectly configured and you eliminate my ISP blocking the ports and you eliminate any firewalls then whats left that would still prevent me from connecting? Could it be a corrupted preference file?
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If I understand correctly the globe icon with the wrap around arrows does not measure your upload/download speed/status (which is what I always understood the icon to mean), but whether you can connect to the ED2K/Kad network to search for sources.
That is correct. If you hover the mouse over the icon a tooltip will appear that explains the icon.
I barely get any results. In fact more often than not I get no results returned (Global Search) and I find it hard to believe out of 80000000+ files there's not even one match to my search criteria.
You say that you're not connected (to a server (or do you mean Kad?)). How can you search in that case?
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Let me clarify. I can connect to any server in my server list because next to the globe icon it displays the 'Currently connected server' which at the moment is 'eDonkeyServer No1' (Note: I have the Kad network option turned off). My problem is once connected to a server none of my file searches return any results so the only files I can choose to download are the ones aMule already knows the sources for (from when my search results would return hundreds of files, which incidently was when the downwards arrow on the globe would turn green instead of being stuck on red as it is now).
Does being connected to a server mean you're also connected to the ED2K/Kad networks? I would think so. I read the FAQ section titled 'Get High ID' and this is what it says regarding the ED2K network:
"You can still connect to this network even if none of these ports is accessible. For ED2K connection, if the standard client TCP port (No. 1) is not accessible, you will receive a Low ID and experience significantly lower transfer speeds. However, access to this port (No. 1) is all you need to attain High ID status; this will provide the highest transfer speed possible on the Ed2K network. Making the extended server requests UDP port (No. 3) accessible too is highly recomended, because this will provide you with valuable statistics and information about files on the ED2K network."
Well port 4662 (standard client TCP port No. 1) is accessible ('Port Connection Tester' says so) so I should have High ID (downwards arrow on the globe icon should be green), yet this arrow is stuck on red which indicates I'm not connected at all, so there seems to be a contradiction or maybe I'm getting confused and this arrow will only turn green if port 4672 (extended server request UDP port No.3) is accessible? and does all this have anything to do with not being able to get any hits on my searches?
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I just checked it with my aMule. The downward arrow indicates your connection to the Kad network, the other shows your connection to the ED2K network. You have Kad disabled, so it's logical that the downward arrow is red. The other one should be green.
Your port 4672 is probably accessible, but the "Port Connection Tester" only tests if it can connect to the port via TCP, that's why it says it's not available. However, even if it isn't available this shouldn't be the cause of your problems. According to the wiki (http://www.amule.org/wiki/index.php/FAQ_eD2k-Kademlia#What_does_each_port_do.3F) that port only does:
4672 UDP (outgoing and incoming): Extended eMule protocol, Queue Rating, File Reask Ping, Kad. Kad will be 'firewalled' if NAT (Network Address Translation) remaps this port number.
The problem you're describing sounds more like you're connecting to a fake server (http://www.amule.org/wiki/index.php/Fake_servers) (although it's weird that it did work correctly in the past). Especially as global searches search on all servers in your server list. So, you may want to remove all your servers and download a new list of verified servers (see the wiki page).
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Yes the upwards arrow on the globe icon is always green. So if I enable the Kad network the downwards arrow "should" turn green and in fact does (that's that issue solved), though is there any value in having the Kad network enabled eg Are there files on this network that might not be available on the ED2K network?
As for connecting to fake servers the servers in my server list are 'safe' servers as I only download from 'verified' server lists so there shouldn't be any fake servers plus I disabled 'Update server list when connecting to a server' and 'Update server list when a client connects' so there's no chance of a fake server being added to my verified server list.
I'm wondering if my 'Clients on queue' is affecting my search results? should I only search when this is over a certain number - say 300? Would I be right to say it doesn't make much sense to search when my clients on queue is only 50 or less? Well I tested this theory and the answer seems to be it makes no difference.
Perhaps my search results on ED2K simply depend on the time of day I search? What I can verify is that now I've enabled Kad I'm getting good search results on Kad, but still nothing on ED2K. Maybe everyone's abandoned ED2K for Kad?