How to detect BitTorrent blocking

Author: Gareth Halfacree
Published: 8th May 2008
Comments (16) Stumble
Preliminary results from the Glasnost tests show that the UK is mercifully free of BitTorrent blocking, unlike the US.

Preliminary results from the Glasnost tests show that the UK is mercifully free of BitTorrent blocking, unlike the US.

If you're curious as to whether your particular ISP is one of those naughty P2P jammers, there's a website that might just help you find out.

According to an article published on pro-P2P website Torrentfreak yesterday, the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems in Germany has unveiled a project called 'Glasnost' which aims to gather information about what ISPs cripple BitTorrent transfers around the world.

The heart of the project is a Java applet which simulates BitTorrent traffic, both on a well-known BitTorrent port and on a randomly-chosen high-numbered TCP port. By transferring data in both directions for either four or seven minutes – depending on how much of a rush you're in – the site aims to detect any packet loss that could indicate that peer-to-peer traffic is being 'managed' by your ISP.

The system isn't perfect – it detects blocking rather than throttling, so only ISPs that actually prevent P2P uploads via TCP RST injection and similar methods will be detected – but it's a good tool for getting a rough idea of why your torrents might be bogged down.

The project has already published preliminary results on some 5,300 connections analysed by the software, and the results are perhaps surprising. Of the 889 invididual ISPs that were analysed during the test, only fourteen showed evidence of blocking BitTorrent traffic – and ten of those were located in the US.

While a cluster of results in the US is to be expected, if only because more tests have been carried out from that location than anywhere else, it's still interesting that the country with the next largest sample size, Canada, has but a single ISP showing signs of outright blocking of BitTorrent traffic.

If you want to run the test across your own connection, point your Java-enabled browser at the project website, but be patient – at the time of writing, the site was having a few problems keeping up with demand.

Anyone here know that their ISP is doing naughty things with their data stream, or are UK ISPs above such petty fiddling? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
MSI Wind U100
Quote darklord of chaos 8th May 2008, 10:10
well virgin throttle your connection speed if you actually use the web, they say it only affects the top 5% downloaders
so 2 files ~700MB in size accross 3 days makes me in the relam of the big DL's...I think not, virgin's system does not work but I am moving house soon so I have chance to get a more user friendly ISP.
Quote mmorgue 8th May 2008, 10:43
@darklord of chaos

I agree. I'm on VM myself and sometimes it's days and days since I have done anything online and I'll notice my connection is nothing near the 20mbit I'm paying for.

Sadly, my only other option is ADSL which, as I'm far from the exchange, the max I can get is 2mbit.
Quote AlexB 8th May 2008, 11:39
Tiscali and BT throttle you too. Tiscali said their average user used 20mb a day. (that's 1 minute at 8mb internet speeds).

Stupid. I wonder if we can do anything about unfair-fair-usage rules?
Quote Woodstock 8th May 2008, 11:53
@AlexB 20mb is actually close to accurate for my flatmates when im away according to the logs, and can anything be done since you have probably agreed to the restrictions in the terms and conditions when you signed up
Quote Flibblebot 8th May 2008, 11:53
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexB
...Tiscali said their average user used 20mb a day.
Probably true, most "average" users only use basic e-mail and browse a couple of websites a day.
Quote leexgx 8th May 2008, 14:01
throttleing and packet filtering are not the same thing (Tiscali does that, bt just send nag letters whenyou go over the 5gb monthy download limit)

throttleing speed
is what Virgin now do between 4pm and 10pm When You download/upload combined an set amount (350MB 2mb / 700MB 4mb / 20mb 3GB) your broadband gets cut in half for 4 hr's from when you hit the limit (20mb gets cut down to 5mb), other BT based broadband providers do this as well but some drop it to ISDN speeds (64kb bb and i not talking in KB) untill the end of that month
Virgin have no packet filtering on there lines allso 20mb not all web sties ftp servers or any p2p network can allways fill that speed use an download manager or goto http://www.speedtest.net test the 3 servers on that map that are in the UK


packet filtering is what Tiscali does (and some other ISPs), after i think 4pm thay kick in and basicly all p2p traffic is droped down to 1KB/s
Quote Cheapskate 8th May 2008, 17:31
LOL Denmark is blacked out. It's like one giant server.
How long will it be before they come out with a throttle tester? I'm pretty sure I'm getting choked here.
Quote dslickness 8th May 2008, 17:46
I'm over here in California, and I don't seem to have an bandwidth issues. Luckily I use Sbc Yahoo DSL, instead of the cable monopoly Comcast.

All I have to say is, I'd take consistency over raw power any day! GO DSL!! NO WEB HOGS HERE!
Quote Darkened 8th May 2008, 20:08
dAMN
Quote Darkened 8th May 2008, 20:13
Premature enter-key syndrome hit me just now.

I was about to say that those limitations are something I wouldn't be able to live with, I'm on 16Mb dsl now and I'd raise a hellstorm if I couldn't download at about 1500-1700kbits/s 24/7/365. That is what I pay for every single month, though if it is on the contract, then I couldn't blame anyone else but myself.

I think these kind of limitations nullify the whole meaning of dsl, what's the point of having a fast internet connection if you can only use it for a while a day?

I said it before and I'll say it again dAMN

Darkened
Quote DaSuperFly 8th May 2008, 21:24
Be Broadband FTW. No throttling, reliable service and great customer service.
I'm not even being paid to say this!
Quote banshee256 8th May 2008, 21:44
Seems like Danish ISP Cybercity doesn't do anything to your connection, except for delivering what the promise... or, in my case, what the 2nd hand copper under the street can handle. Which is around 16 Mbit/s.
Quote CowBlazed 8th May 2008, 22:19
Useful, but they need to come out with something that tests for throttling, that way people can make better informed decesions about their ISPs. Outright blocking is pretty rare because there would be alot of backlash, but many ISPs (including Bell Canada which I use) have come out saying they are now doing intensive throttling for P2P stuff, but how many others just aren't saying anything.

They also need to release the name of the ISPs not just "1 blocked" thats pretty useless IMO.
Quote LordPyrinc 9th May 2008, 00:46
I think throttling is just a way for the ISPs to cut their costs.

A. Either, they don't want to have to spend the $$ to upgrade outdated network infrastructure or
B. they don't want to lease more bandwith from other telcoms.
Quote Gareth Halfacree 9th May 2008, 08:38
Quote:
Originally Posted by CowBlazed
They also need to release the name of the ISPs not just "1 blocked" thats pretty useless IMO.
As I understand it, they're waiting for a peer review of the code behind the tool before publishing detailed results. Claiming a particular ISP blocks BitTorrent when they don't is a sure-fire way to get yourself snotty letters from serious laywers, so it's understandable that they want to be completely certain the tool is working properly before naming and shaming.
Quote Jipa 9th May 2008, 10:33
I just read through the comments and holy ****. What's up with all the limitations, I haven't even heard of limitation after the 56k-days. I love my 8/1 M connection that I can (and do) use as much as ever I like.

I bet you can fill that 20 MB daily limit easily by browsing through a couple of project logs or galleries... DSLs are made to be fast and if the user can use his/her fast connection a minute per day then something sure isn't right.

EDIT: btw I can't do the test as the server is busy. Well there are always problems but atleast it's not because of my ISP :)
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