j7n

I've seen them on Tankafett network hubs. It seems they have a spam bot/script that sometimes replaces links that users type in with a funny beginning, while leaving the main part intact. I got my link replaced with this. I seriously thought it was some next generation protocol like Speedy or something related to Shoutcast (or its replacement) that I had missed. /facepalm

I have noticed that web addresses on DC are sometimes written as uttb://example.com/blah/blah. In the context they clearly mean "http". Why type uttb? I thought it might be a way to bypass spam protection. But I've also seen a staff member write this. They explained to me why by saying "rotfl", possibly hinting that my assumption was wrong... What is this utter transport bull?

Why is it that typing in the chat of a hub causes some clients in there to attempt a connection to me. This is immediate and automatic, and the other clients are always the same ones, suggesting a setting activated in them. They are listed in the transfers pane for a while as "Connecting..." and then disappear. Not all of them are operators, but often they are, suggesting that a special client is used. Which one that might be?

Most of these users (passive and active) can be connected and downloaded from. When they make this connection, they are visible in the transfers list for three minutes as "Connecting..." and don't request any file. Repeated chatting in the same hub does not cause them to connect again. This is only an annoyance when I try to manage the uploads disconnecting duplicate users and observing speeds. The list becomes longer than it really is. I observed this in Apex and also in an old DC++ which I used until last year. In CDM I see the following lines. These are the strange clients. 212.142.84.209 is me. I don't know how to interpret the log. Hub: [Incoming][192.241.88.226:2020] <[JOKER]j7n> test Hub: [Incoming][192.241.88.226:2020] $ConnectToMe [JOKER]j7n 188.168.46.193:3785 Client: [Outgoing][188.168.46.193] $MyNick [JOKER]j7n| Client: [Outgoing][188.168.46.193] $Lock EXTENDEDPROTOCOLABCABCABCABCABCABC Pk=DCPLUSPLUS0.785Ref=reloaded.jollyjokerhub.eu:2020| Client: [Incoming][188.168.46.193] $MyNick [JOKER]LUXOR Client: [Incoming][188.168.46.193] $Lock EXTENDEDPROTOCOLABCABCABCABCABCABC Pk=DCPLUSPLUS0.707ABCABC Client: [Outgoing][188.168.46.193] $Supports MiniSlots XmlBZList ADCGet TTHL TTHF ZLIG | Client: [Outgoing][188.168.46.193] $Direction Upload 3624| Client: [Outgoing][188.168.46.193] $Key A ѱ00 0 0 0 0 0| Client: [Incoming][188.168.46.193] $Supports MiniSlots XmlBZList ADCGet TTHL TTHF ZLIG Client: [Incoming][188.168.46.193] $Direction Download 3157 Client: [Incoming][188.168.46.193] $Key A ѱ00 0 0 0 0 0 Hub: [Incoming][192.241.88.226:2020] $ConnectToMe [JOKER]j7n 178.48.118.228:54355 Client: [Outgoing][178.48.118.228] $MyNick [JOKER]j7n| Client: [Outgoing][178.48.118.228] $Lock EXTENDEDPROTOCOLABCABCABCABCABCABC Pk=DCPLUSPLUS0.785Ref=reloaded.jollyjokerhub.eu:2020| Client: [Incoming][178.48.118.228] $MyNick goodmans Client: [Incoming][178.48.118.228] $Lock EXTENDEDPROTOCOLABCABCABCABCABCABC Pk=DCPLUSPLUS0.707ABCABC Client: [Outgoing][178.48.118.228] $Supports MiniSlots XmlBZList ADCGet TTHL TTHF ZLIG | Client: [Outgoing][178.48.118.228] $Direction Upload 3742| Client: [Outgoing][178.48.118.228] $Key A ѱ00 0 0 0 0 0| Client: [Incoming][178.48.118.228] $Supports MiniSlots XmlBZList ADCGet TTHL TTHF ZLIG Client: [Incoming][178.48.118.228] $Direction Download 16309 Client: [Incoming][178.48.118.228] $Key A ѱ00 0 0 0 0 0 Hub: [Incoming][92.222.0.123:411] <!![VIP]j7n> test Hub: [Incoming][92.222.0.123:411] $RevConnectToMe ZloyVadim !![VIP]j7n Hub: [Outgoing][92.222.0.123:411] $ConnectToMe ZloyVadim 212.142.84.209:6541| Client: [Incoming][109.86.172.18] $MyNick ZloyVadim Client: [Outgoing][109.86.172.18] $MyNick !![VIP]j7n| Client: [Outgoing][109.86.172.18] $Lock EXTENDEDPROTOCOLABCABCABCABCABCABC Pk=DCPLUSPLUS0.785| Client: [Incoming][109.86.172.18] $Lock EXTENDEDPROTOCOLABCABCABCABCABCABC Pk=DCPLUSPLUS0.709ABCABC Client: [Outgoing][109.86.172.18] $Supports MiniSlots XmlBZList ADCGet TTHL TTHF ZLIG | Client: [Outgoing][109.86.172.18] $Direction Upload 3624| Client: [Outgoing][109.86.172.18] $Key A ѱ00 0 0 0 0 0| Client: [Incoming][109.86.172.18] $Supports MiniSlots XmlBZList ADCGet TTHL TTHF BanMsg ZLIG Client: [Incoming][109.86.172.18] $Direction Download 20692 Client: [Incoming][109.86.172.18] $Key A ѱ00 0 0 0 0 0 Hub: [Incoming][92.222.0.123:411] $RevConnectToMe !![VIP]j7n Hub: [Outgoing][92.222.0.123:411] $ConnectToMe 212.142.84.209:6541| Client: [Incoming][46.172.1.52] $MyNick Client: [Outgoing][46.172.1.52] $MyNick !![VIP]j7n| Client: [Outgoing][46.172.1.52] $Lock EXTENDEDPROTOCOLABCABCABCABCABCABC Pk=DCPLUSPLUS0.785| Client: [Incoming][46.172.1.52] $Lock EXTENDEDPROTOCOLABCABCABCABCABCABC Pk=DCPLUSPLUS0.709ABCABC Client: [Outgoing][46.172.1.52] $Supports MiniSlots XmlBZList ADCGet TTHL TTHF ZLIG | Client: [Outgoing][46.172.1.52] $Direction Upload 3742| Client: [Outgoing][46.172.1.52] $Key A ѱ00 0 0 0 0 0| Client: [Incoming][46.172.1.52] $Supports MiniSlots XmlBZList ADCGet TTHL TTHF BanMsg ZLIG Client: [Incoming][46.172.1.52] $Direction Download 4252 Client: [Incoming][46.172.1.52] $Key A ѱ00 0 0 0 0 0 Hub: [Incoming][92.222.0.123:411] $RevConnectToMe ++++ !![VIP]j7n Hub: [Outgoing][92.222.0.123:411] $ConnectToMe ++++ 212.142.84.209:6541| Client: [Incoming][91.202.0.204] $MyNick ++++ Client: [Outgoing][91.202.0.204] $MyNick !![VIP]j7n| Client: [Outgoing][91.202.0.204] $Lock EXTENDEDPROTOCOLABCABCABCABCABCABC Pk=DCPLUSPLUS0.785| Client: [Incoming][91.202.0.204] $Lock EXTENDEDPROTOCOLABCABCABCABCABCABC Pk=DCPLUSPLUS0.709ABCABC Client: [Outgoing][91.202.0.204] $Supports MiniSlots XmlBZList ADCGet TTHL TTHF ZLIG | Client: [Outgoing][91.202.0.204] $Direction Upload 1832| Client: [Outgoing][91.202.0.204] $Key A ѱ00 0 0 0 0 0| Client: [Incoming][91.202.0.204] $Supports MiniSlots XmlBZList ADCGet TTHL TTHF BanMsg ZLIG Client: [Incoming][91.202.0.204] $Direction Download 28367 Client: [Incoming][91.202.0.204] $Key A ѱ00 0 0 0 0 0 Hub: [Incoming][109.73.110.190:411] <j7n> test Client: [Outgoing][85.254.12.221] $MyNick j7n| Client: [Outgoing][85.254.12.221] $Lock EXTENDEDPROTOCOLABCABCABCABCABCABC Pk=DCPLUSPLUS0.785Ref=bin.rec.lv| Client: [Incoming][85.254.12.221] $MyNick [LV]Leonkrevs Client: [Incoming][85.254.12.221] $Lock EXTENDEDPROTOCOLABCABCABCABCABCABC Pk=DCPLUSPLUS0.674ABCABC Client: [Outgoing][85.254.12.221] $Supports MiniSlots XmlBZList ADCGet TTHL TTHF ZLIG | Client: [Outgoing][85.254.12.221] $Direction Upload 21148| Client: [Outgoing][85.254.12.221] $Key A ѱ00 0 0 0 0 0| Client: [Incoming][85.254.12.221] $Supports MiniSlots XmlBZList ADCGet TTHL TTHF ZLIG Client: [Incoming][85.254.12.221] $Direction Download 29459 Client: [Incoming][85.254.12.221] $Key A ѱ00 0 0 0 0 0

What is the meaning of this lighter part in the progress bar when uploading or downloading?

Much appreciated. Microsoft is constantly nudging its users towards purchasing new products. In the name of security of course. This is nothing new. SP2 was an entirely new OS and software compiled for it was incompatible with earlier SPs and Win2K. I believe that with most share sizes an XP computer is perfectly capable to serve as a seedbox. Its security will only increase as time moves on, because malware too will start relying on modern OSes, EncodePointer, GetLogicalProcessor, or some SP3 stuff in iphlpapi.dll. This version is loading and working fine in XP SP3. Download Queue context has a header again, except for that colored line. Indeed. I'm putting ApexDC on all computers; I like its polished UI and certain extensions. Works fine on XP SP1 and later if I block the update DNS name. Unlike AirDC and others, the UI doesn't visually break apart on the Windows Classic theme, hence 'polished'.

I see it. Settings -> Security -> Use TLS when remote client supports it. This option will work fine until I migrate to NT 6. The menu headers were slightly broken since a few versions ago. If I go to Download queue they are indeed invisible. 1.5.11 appears to start and function normally under XP SP3, aside from the graphical glitch there.

Can SSL be disabled by not forwarding the particular port or setting it to 0?

In Settings -> Advanced -> Experts Only, there are 2 options for setting the socket buffers. They are by default set to 64k. Believing they control the TCP window, I've experimented with them, increasing them and also setting them to 1500-1460-1000 (expecting poor speed), and restarting the program. But the changes had no definite effect. I was still able to download around 1 MB/s from known "fast" hosts. My system is Windows XP. Increasing the global receive window from the default ~60k about four times did affect download speed by the same ratio, while no such effect was observed when tweaking the socket buffer in Apex. What exactly do these options do? Is the 64k or some other value hardcoded and cannot be changed?

Ok, cool. Looking forward to Apex 2.0.

Apex DC++ appears to forget IPs that have become known to it. Most of the time, even a connection will not add that user's Ip to the list. It seems that they need to connect to me for this to happen, but I'm not sure. I'd expect the Ip column to get filled in over time from connections and search queries, but it does not happen. In Greylink DC++, I can search for ".mp3 mp3", ".avi avi" or similar, and get the addresses of most hub users from wherever the responses to those searches were sent from. Greylink lacks some functions and stability though.

I don't use any antivirus, or as the expression goes, Common Sense 2007. It hasn't needed updating since, except some minor configuration changes. Without resident monitoring filters, my two Windows systems are rock solid. They can reach maximum IP performance and availabilty. I've so far caught about 4 or 5 viruses, sent one load of spam, spent some time on a blocklist for that, and been removed. In all these cases I had carelessly run a crack or patch that wasn't entirely what it pretended to be. Those were avoidable and my own fault. The popularity of alternate DNS looks suspicious, as an attempt to take over and maybe filter the internet. If the ISP's DNS (which is physically close, normally with round trip times of a couple ms) performs worse than Google 30-40 ms away, how can anything else on the ISP's network function at all? I occasionally test suspicious software in a VMware virtual machine. I'm also behind a NAT firewall, using a local DNS cache. I monitor running processes on my systems using Process Explorer, TaskInfo, Sysinternals Autoruns and Sysinternals TCPView.

I have noticed that some users pick strange, short, Central European (Czech, Polish) sounding nicks, prefixed with Cable, DSL or ADSL in parentheses. Those users do not in fact come from Central Europe, as verified by their IP. For example: [DSL]Ciodz1 (Cable)Kiorh (adsl)Dosz [DSL]Dzac I know that having a certain prefix might cause other users to treat them differently, for example, giving more speed or more slots, but cable or dsl aren't group names (like [ARC] is for example). What is the reason for them to pick these odd sounding names?

Back in the days when consumer routers were notoriously unreliable, ordering a Mikrotik RouterBoard was a sure way to buy a piece of mind for a considerable premium. I think manufacturing quality has now improved, since routers are expected to sustain DSL or Cable speeds, which have finally approached those of Ethernet. Still, products by this company have never failed me, but Linksys and D-Link have. The current RouterBoard lineup has models for every performance level. The small white boxes are great choice for an office, and a decent home unit costs around 100 euros. They all run fully enabled RouterOS software with flexible Firewall, NAT, bridging of networks between a pair of routers, DNS server, proxy, packet queues. The router's CPU sets a strict limit on how many of the features can be enabled at once without slowdown. They can all handle tens of thousands of connections (limited by memory). Published throughput stats are on site for some models. Configuration is performed via a Windows program or telnet, which is quicker than using a clumsy web UI. You can administer the box, and access its services (DNS, time, proxy, socks) from anywhere as permitted by the firewall. You perform NAT on any connection, including outgoing to redirect traffic from one server to another (like a transparent proxy). Finding a retailer carrying RouterBoards might prove difficult. An old RB532A in service today. It's getting obsolete now. Current uptime of my router 363d 06:12:04. They don't need to be reset in normal operation.

This appears to still be an issue with current Apex. When a tab becomes Bold, it's width changes causing tabs to the right of it to shift, potentially to another row, in unexpected locations. This can be solved by picking a monospaced font, such as Courier New. But this causes ASCII Art or tables in chat to break apart, because they are set specifically for MS Sans Serif, a variable width font. That a weird tradition followed by all hubs. Tabs should be made all the same width.

I am trying to rejoin a few DC after about a year of absence and I find ApexDC++ refusing to load anymore with an error about a Mandatory Update. I tried a few later versions, but they all want to update further. My computer is running Windows XP SP1, and the most recent client does not work. V1.3.4 seems to work just fine if I block your server. Which is the latest version of ApexDC++ that is not broken and wouldn't require a _mandatory_ udapte?

I solved the problem by replacing http://update.apexdc.net/version.php with an invalid address. A new OS brings all sorts of issues with it that take time and research to solve or work around, such as the Event ID 4226 or unstable network drivers.

It requires a later service pack for the OS, and says: The procedure entry point DecodePointer could not be located in the dynamic link library KERNEL32.dll. This computer is running with uptime of months and (effectively) installing a new OS is not reasonable. I just want the error box to go away.

How does my Apex node get all this information? Which properties are broadcasted by the hub? I've connected with Apex v1.0.1 to a hub which has DC tags disabled for my user class and there are immediately users with "mine" and "network drive" status. Mine: Who is observing the Powerball 100 kB/s status? Network drive: Does this just mean that the remote user has "Firewall with port forwarding" active? Because I have a public address for my router and can tell for sure that those users are not on my LAN.