Automatically downloading torrents on your MyBook with rTorrent

Here is a way to start your torrents downloading automatically from anywhere you can get access to a directory on your MyBook (ie. anywhere in the world using MioNet, CIFS/SMB, etc).

The 'magical' step is to create a configuration file for rTorrent. In this file you can specify such parameters like: the default download location, default speed, etc. You can also specify a directory that you want rTorrent to scan for .torrent files. If you place a .torrent file in this directory, rTorrent will find it and add it to your download queue.

For example:

• I mount the shared volume 'PUBLIC' to my laptop
• I then created a directory called 'Torrents' that rTorrent defaults to downloading files
• An additional subdirectory was created called 'autoload' that rTorrent automatically scans for .torrent files
• I save any downloaded .torrent files to the '/Torrents/autoload/' directory
• rTorrent automatically downloads the files
• I access the downloaded files from the '/Torrents' directory
• IMPORTANTLY - All of this is down from the desktop of my laptop - I don't have to use terminal.

The configuration file should be saved to your '~' directory (ie. once logged in as root, type 'cd /~' and use your editor of choice) and called '.rtorrent.rc'. Full details on the options available in the configuration file can be found here.

Of course, rTorrent needs to be running for the whole thing to work - so don't forget to load it with a dtach session.

A copy of my configuration file (to get you started) is shown below, and can be downloaded here

.rtorrent.rc

# The settings of torrents will be saved in this directory;

# and a file, which will prevent rTorrent running more than once;
session = /shares/internal/PUBLIC/Torrents

# where the downloaded files will be saved;
directory = /shares/internal/PUBLIC/Torrents

# Default upload speed (0 means No Limit);
upload_rate = 0

# Default download speed (0 means No Limit);
download_rate = 40

# if rTorrent should use UDP;
use_udp_trackers = yes

# Max. number of upload slots per torrent;
# max_uploads = 20

# Port range from where rTorrent will try to connect, make sure it.s not blocked by your routers firewall;
port_range = 49152-49152

# Min. and max. connections to one torrent;
# min_peers=10
# max_peers=400

# Stops uploading when ratio is 1.5 and file size greater than 100MB or ratio is over 2.0;
# schedule = ratio,60,60,"stop_on_ratio=150,100M,200"

# Stops downloading when there is less than 50MB diskspace;
# schedule = low_diskspace,5,60,"close_low_diskspace=50M"

# Torrents will be automatically added to the download list from this directory;
schedule = watch_directory,5,5,load_start=/shares/internal/PUBLIC/Torrents/autoload/*.torrent

# After deleting torrents from that list .torrent files will be deleted too;
# schedule = untied_directory,5,5,stop_untied=

# Schedule an unlimited download at night 
schedule = throttle_1,23:00:00,24:00:00,download_rate=0
schedule = throttle_2,08:00:00,24:00:00,download_rate=40

# Check hash for finished torrents. 
# Might be usefull until the bug is fixed that causes lack of diskspace not to be properly reported.
check_hash = no