[HowTo] Set up a headless torrentserver with Web/App control

1. General info

Following this guide, you will get a headless server running the BitTorrent file sharing protocol.

This HowTo is written for those who would like to set up their first Debian torrentserver. It is written for Debian 12 (bookworm), but the following instructions may also work with later versions.

Commands are typed in code brackets and can usually be copied and pasted into the command line interface of your server.

$ in front of the code means that the command should be executed as regular user.
# in front of the code means that the command should be executed as root.

You can change from regular user to root by typing su - on a system that has root enabled. In order to change to regular user from root, you can type su - yourusername, type exit at the command prompt or press Ctrl-D.


2. What is BitTorrent?

BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer file sharing protocol used for downloading and distributing files.

Transmission is a BitTorrent client which features a variety of user interfaces on top of a cross-platform back-end. This offers flexibility and seamless integration on various desktop environments and devices.


3. Why run a headless server?

There are several reasons why you would want to run a client like Transmission on a headless server:
* File availability: Servers are made to always stay on, making sure that your files can be downloaded at any time.
* Low system requirements: A headless server will only use a fraction of the system requirements of a laptop with a GUI. Even sharing hundreds of torrents isn't a problem on modest hardware like an old Raspberry Pi.
* Reduced attack surface: Whenever you share a file with BitTorrent, you also expose your IP address. A headless client is simply running fewer things to attack.
* Stability: There are generally fewer things that can go wrong on a headless server, because less code is run and less code is altered. You can set it up once and run it for years.


4. Why Transmission on the server?

Transmission is usuallly regarded as one of the best BitTorrent clients because:
* It is lightweight
* It is flexible
* It is open source
* It has a Web interface
* It can be administered with an Android app
* It is under active development

However, it is not the only one that can be run from a command line interface. There is also rTorrent, Deluge Console, qbittorrent-nox, ctorrent and probably several others.


5. Set up a headless server

This requires quite a few steps, but fortunately I have written about them before. I will assume below that you'll create a root password for your server. Follow sections 1-8 and optionally 10 (security) here: viewtopic.php?t=153625 I highly recommend disabling SSH requests from outside your LAN (as shown under section 10 in the mentioned guide), and that you pick a strong root-password. Once you are connected to your server with SSH, proceed to the step "Create a Transmission user" if you didn't already make a user called that during install.


6. Create a Transmission user
Enter your root password.

Then paste in the following command:
This command will create a user with the name transmission

You will get prompted the transmission user's password. Please do not use the same password as the root user for security reasons.


7. Install transmission

Stop transmission-daemon

8. Configure transmission

We'll make a few changes before everything is ready.


8.1 Edit the configuration file:
Paste this content into the configuration file, or edit your current one accordingly.

If you don't know what you are doing, please leave the default settings.

Things to change:
Type in a new password, or just use "transmission" for simplicity. Please note that the password will be encrypted when Transmission starts again, so please don't forget it.

The whitelist allows all localhost connections and also connection from all computers on the LAN.
If you want more restrictive access, you can for instance use an individual LAN address that you can connect to the server from. Please be careful if doing this, as too restrictive rules may get locked out.

When you are all done editing, press Ctrl+x to exit and save the changes.

If you want more lax permissions to your download directory, for instance if you want to copy files there and seed them with your regular user, you can set

9. Firewall

If the server is behind a router's firewall, you may need to open and forward the range 49152 to 65535 to your server. If you don't know how, this page is excellent: https://portforward.com/ Then follow the instructions.


9.1 nftables

If the server itself has an active firewall, you can add the entire range like this (nftables):
Check that the rules are added:
Reload nftables with the new settings

9.2 UFW

If you use UFW:
All done! It is probably a good idea to reboot your server at this point to see how the system behaves after a normal reboot.


10. Reboot and testing
Log back into the server with (assuming that your LAN IP is 192.168.1.10)
Enter your root password

Check that transmission-daemon.service is running
You should see something like this:
As shown, it complains that the send and receive buffers are too low. Let's give Transmission a little more space by increasing the buffer size. NOTE: Please beware that modifying system parameters can have consequences. If you experience any problems, please undo these changes by removing the values added to /etc/sysctl.conf below.
Paste this to the bottom if the file
Save and close with Ctrl+x.

Apply the changes
Let's try again:
Much better!

If the service isn't running, you should see info on why it failed to start.


10. Troubleshooting

Check the server for configuration errors and get detailed information for each entry.


10.1 View all logs related to transmission

10.2 If you only want to view error messages

10.3 If you are having problems, but transmission seems OK, you can check for system wide errors
If there are no problems, the file should show "-- No entries --"


11. Connecting from a Web interface

Just type your server's IP and rpc-port from the configuration file in a Web browser like Firefox or Chromium (The default port is 9091.)

For instance: http://192.168.1.10:9091

If everything works correctly, you will be prompted to insert your username and password. Username should be transmission, and if you didn't alter your password earlier, you can input transmission as password too.

The network interface should be easy to follow, so just click the folder to drop a magnet link or a torrent-file, and the server will do the rest.


12. Connecting from an Android mobile phone

You can also download the Android app, where you also can add torrents/watch progress of files and even get a notifications on your phone when files are downloaded.

Find the app on Google Play or click the link below:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... ission.btc

Just add the server's address, port and password, and you should see the server. You are now ready to download and share files:


13. Ideas for use

Please consider helping Debian with distributing CD/DVD images files: https://www.debian.org/CD/torrent-cd/

The Internet Archive also features millions of files that can be shared and distributed if you select "Torrent".

https://archive.org/


14. Moving files

14.1 KDE Plasma
I prefer adding a network folder in KDE's Dolphin, so that I can browse it's folders as if they were local: Open Dolhon, click the Network on the left pane. Then click the "Add Network Folder" button on the top right. Select the SSH option and type the address to your server (for instance 192.168.1.10), login (transmission) and the transmission user's password.

14.2 Gnome
Disclaimer: I have not tested this part. Open Dolhon, click "Other Locations" in the top menu. At the bottom of the sidebar, click "Connect to server". Select SSH from the drop-down menu, and then enter the address to your server (for instance 192.168.1.10) and login name (transmission). Click "Connect" and you will be prompted for the transmission user's password.

14.3 From the command line interface
Copying a local file to the remote server from your computer
Copying a remote file from the server to your computerCopying an entire local directory to the serverCopying an entore remote directory to your computerReplace paths as needed.


15. Conclusion

This guide has walked you through setting up a Debian torrent server using Transmission. With a focus on security and efficiency, the headless server configuration should ensure a reliable long term file sharing experience with easy web and phone management. Keep security in mind, use strong passwords, and regularly update your system.

Suggestions for improvement of this guide are always welcome.

Statistics: Posted by Hallvor — 2024-01-24 09:48 — Replies 3 — Views 83

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