Ants Tutorial

[tsafa1]

Its been a while since we put one and a few minor things have changed so here you go:

First download JWS auto uppdater. With this you will recieve updates automaticly.
http://www.myjavaserver.com/~gwren/Ants/antsp2p.jnlp

However keep in mind that many of these updates are experimental and may not work perfectly. If you do not want to be a bata tester download installer from here:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/antsp2p/


-Upon installing ants click on the settings panel

-set IP to your correct IP. Do not use internal one (192... and 169...)

-If you are firewalled open default ports 4567 and 4568
Keep in mind that windows firewall is often on by default and many anti-virus programs now have built in firewalls

-make sure you have options checked on to search for peers in IRC on also on GW host cache.

-If you get message in connection panel that you are behind a nat, find your name in the IRC list and right click on it, then hit "reprobe". It should clear up. if you are getting peers anyway, the message does not mater.

-Now you wait for peers to connect. The connected peers are the Ants network. The IRC chanel is just regular IRC so watch what you say there. Only uploads/ downloads and http tunnel are anonymous, NOT the IRC channel.

-To search, go to the Query panel. enter something general at first like .avi , .mpg or .mp3

-To share go to the connection panel and click on shared files. Add some directories. It will take a while for large files to hash.

-You can also ask question in the IRC channel. Just be patient untill someone sees it. People generaly do not look at the IRC channel all day. You can connect to the channel with any IRC program (MIRC, Chatzilla). the server is : irc.efnet.net , the channel is: #antsp2p

-also try to help others in the channel when you know what you are doing, thanks.

[tsafa1]

The Apache server will become the link between the html file you will create and Ants P2P program. This will allow you to share any files you create anonymously with the world.

First you will go to the Apache website: http://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi

Go to the download section and find: Win32 Binary (MSI Installer): apache_2.0.50-win32-x86-no_ssl.msi

After it installs, click on the .msi file to install. You will get an info page-hit next.

Now you will get an interesting page that might look scary because it asks for domain names and e-mail address. Fear not, you can make on up. Just type it in the right form.

For network domain, enter something like: lotsofporn.com

For server name, enter something like: www.lotofporn.com

For administrator email address, enter something like: [email protected]

underneath that you will see two options. Leave the default: All users on port 80 as a service-recommeded.

Hit next button

Pick typical setup and hit next to install. After installation you should see apache running in your task try. leave it alone. You are finished setting up your Apache server.

Go to your web browser and type in: http://127.0.0.1/

You should get a page telling you that you Apache installation was successful.

Now you have to configure Ants, which is simple. Go to the settings panel and click on: open http service. Enter proxy port: 8080 and local port: 80

Home page for now will be: index.html

Now Ants is ready. Apache is ready. All you have to do is create a webpage.

Let's do something simple. Find a .jpg picture of a naked girl. Copy and paste it the following directory on your computer: C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache2\htdocs

You can delete all the other files in that directory. You don't need them, you will create your own. Effectively this will be your share directory. Both the picture and the html file you will create must be in this directory. So now that the picture is in this directory go back to dreamweaver. In the toolbar you will see a green icon with a tree on it. Click on that. Now browse your way to the place where you saved the picture: C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache2\htdocs

Click on the picture and hit ok. You should now have it on your page. We are finished. This is just a simple test. Go to the top menu and save your file. Click: file; and then: save as. You will name this file: index.html

If you remember this is the Home Page name we typed into Ants. So for now any file you save must be in that directory with the name: index.htlm

I almost forgot to mention, in Ants under the Home Page field, you could enter a description for people to see. It can be anything you want. (example: free porn for all !!!)

That's it. Now go into the IRC channel and tell someone to refresh their servers and try to open it with their browser. If they can, you are now a WEBMASTER !!!!!

If they can't tell them to make sure their browser has been configured correctly. To do that tell them to go to the settings page and click on: Browser Location

Then click your way to your browsers executable. For me it is: C:\Program Files\mozilla.org\Mozilla\mozilla.exe

You may have a different browser.

To view an http server, first click on it. The right click and hit activate. Then right click again and hit open with browser.

I have one favor to ask of you. When you start publishing your own webpages, please copy and paste these instructions at the bottom somewhere so other people can also learn to set up their own anonymous webpages.

Thank You

[tsafa1]

Occasionaly I have found that even though i know that a new version is available, Ants will simply not update no mater how many times you try. This is a problem that you must fix manualy by uninstalling and reinstalling Ants.

If you run Ants JWS, you must uninstall from JWS. To do this you find and run Javaws.exe It should be here: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\javaws.exe

you can create a shortcut on your desktop for future access. Double click on that file and when it open you should see the Application Cache Viewer. Go the tab that says User. There you will see Ants P2P. Right click on that and click Remove Aplication. Ants will be removed. This will not remove your hashed files or other information. Just the engine.

Now you will visit the JWS site:
http://www.myjavaserver.com/~gwren/Ants/antsp2p.jnlp
Ants will be reinstalled and should start right up. It may re-index your hash files and you are good to go.

I then like to create an ants shortcut on my desktop. You will do this by gong to C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\javaws.exe and opening the Application Cache viewer. On the user tab you will right click on Ants P2P and then click on Install Shortcut. Then close viewer.

At this point Ants is fairly stable and transfers are pretty good if sources are available. So if you are having problems, this should fix it for you.

[The Hunter]

Thread stickied.

[tsafa1]

I would like to clarify for people exacly what makes Ants a high security program or "anonymous" as it is often quoted.

They way ants works is that when a search goes out, it goes from node to node similar to a gnutlella search. However when you choose to download a file the file follows that same route back to you rather then make a direct connection. So effectivly everyone is a middle-man for everyone else. There is no direct connection between uploaders and downloaders.

This middle-man transfering or "proxing" as it is refered to is the heart of the security. Because you are transfering files for other people without knowledge of what is being transfered you can not be held responsible. It has been established that ISP's, who also act as proxies for internet users, are not responsible for what their users do. Lawyers for the EFF (electronic Frontier Foundation) have reasoned that the same level of protection that aplies to ISP's also should apply to the individule.

There are other features in ants like point to point encryption and end to end encryption. the purpuse of this is so that no one can figure out what is being proxied (passed) through your node, especialy you. The fact that you do not know gives you deniability.

You should be aware that the IRC chanel in Ants is a common IRC channal, it is not anonymous. You can connect to that with any IRC program. The purpuse of that is to be able to get live help from other users, and it is also for "bootstraping" This means that this is a way for the ant peers to find each other. The collection of peers is the Ants network. Uploads, downloads and proxy transfers go throught these peers. At this point in time , it is not possible for someone to know if you are uploading , downloading or proxying. Because proxying is not illigal you have denyability. This also applies to the http tunnel (web pages) inside ants.

Keep in mind that you are NOT invisible on Ants. People can see your IP address as they connect to you as a peer neighbor. For that matter they can just look in the IRC and get a list of IP addresses. But it is not illegal to be in IRC and it is not illigal to be in Ants and it is not illigal to proxy. But they have no way of knowing if you are uploading or downloading files for yourself.

The level of security that ants gives you is enough to give you denyability in an American or European style court. If you live somewhere that it is illigal to use the internet or to run a server or to proxy files for other people, then Ants can NOT protect you. Such places would probably include Iran and China but I am not sure. You need to find out what the law is where you live.

If you have any further questions about Ants security, please ask in the other threads. I would like to keep this thread purly for instruction.

note: Ants is curectly experimenting with optional direct connections. You will only qualify fo this if you check the non-anonymous box. If you do, a direct connection will be created if both the uploader and the downloader have checked the non-anonymous box. This will not effect other people who have not picked the option. If you are new to Ants, do not pick this option.

[Apothos]

Hi Tsafa! :)

I was wondering if you or anyone else has heard from Gwren? Been wondering if he is Ok... Thanks! ;)

[ABC_thellookoflove]

yes it is really a shame.
one month before the birth makeing the baby dead.
search was workign quite fine, and if there would be development, there woudl be a betagroup. But the channal is down with zero users, no discussion on the boards and gwren is busy.
After this he will have to work and this means even mor eless time to code.

It could be so simple: a better search and then in direct modus hybrid with java emule.

This would revolutionize the edonkey p2p world and it woudl be the bigges tnetwork in the world created.

and it is a pitty, tha tno other java coder has the knowledge to make a new version,

Are so less underqualifed java coders in the world,that they cannot look into gwrens code ?

[Apothos]

The great news is that a new protocol has come out! :) The bad news is that I can not get an ID number at all, so I can not connect with Ants. :( I posted at Sourceforge about it & made a bug report. Hopefully Gwren will see it & look into it. ;) And if you should see this, Thanks Gwren! ;)

Just had a thought: I'll download the last protocol & reinstall, so I can connect & see what's happening in IRC. ;)

[Apothos]

Apparently it's a problem with the ANts offline installer. If you've used that, and are having this problem, try uninstalling ANts and then reinstalling from this location: http://www.myjavaserver.com/%7Egwren/Ants/antsp2p.jnlp

[tsafa1]

Ants now has SSL trasfers to make transfers look like normal internet traffic and allow you go get past firewalls. You must set your port number to 443. It will work on other port numbers, but firewalled people will not be able to connect to you. Ants now only uses ONE port number (n and n+1 is gone). You must still set your external IP in the settings pannel.


Note: keep this sticky thread for instruction to new people only so it applies on a general basis. Keep discusion material in other threads. Thanks.

[ABC_thellookoflove]

A good tutorial is here as well
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANts_P2P

[nobody667]

Hey, y'all-

Apologies if this has been answered elsewhere in this forum - if you're having trouble getting Ants to connect using port 443, it may be because you're using some variety of Windows 2000 that fires up IIS on startup.

I had this problem - even though my firewall was opening port 443, Ants would try to connect, and then immediately go, "Ant is not running." That didn't make any sense because I thought port 443 was open - but it wasn't, it was being utilized by IIS.

To make port 443 available, go to your control panel and click on "Add/Remove Programs." Then, click on "Add/Remove Windows Components." De-select "Internet Information Service (IIS)" and let Windows do its thing. When it's done, port 443 will be open and Ants will be able to use it!

Obviously, make sure you're not making use of IIS before you do this. Hopefully this is of some use and hasn't been mentioned before.

[tsafa1]

i had trouble running azzurious and ants on 443. Aparrently even if you set azzurious to some other port number it still makes use of port 443. I don't quite understand how things work on the azzurious side.

you should definetly try to getants to run on 443 , even though it will run on any port. by running on 443 you make it posible for college kids and corporate people to connect to the ants network. If enough people don't runn on 443, some college kids may be left unable to connect.

[Hornet]

Back to ANts P2P after a while away.

Two points:

1)What irc channel are users now using?

2)Port 443 won't work if you are running Skype. The solution is to stop Skype then start ANts P2P and then re-start Skype again.


Well done Gwren for keeping the project going - just need easy to use GUI.


Hornet :icon_rr: :icon_shak :icon_rr:

[tsafa1]

the ants server is irc.accessirc.net and the channel is #antsp2p

post 443 is used by a few other programs too and can be used at the same time as ants. Azzureus is one them.

[CHDA80]

interesting interface

[doc.fox]

I Installed Ants today. I heard about it and found the idea of anonymus p2p great ;)
Now my problem is I'm connected to 5 neighbours and I get only very bad search results. When I search for .mp3 or .avi I get som 80 or 20 results nothing for any specific search. Is this network dead? What can I do to connect to more peers or get better search results?

[tsafa1]

Yeah, it a small experimental program. The policing efforts of antipiracy organizations have not been effective enough to warrant further development of anonymous technology.

[evilmegaman]

are you no longer supportive of the whole anonymity thing tsafa1? it's been a while since you were around...

[Mels_Smileys45]

Mmmmmmmmmmm, dead. Nice cold, no longer breathing, stiff and smelly. Oh to dream

[tsafa1]

Hi, all. I'm still around. So is the program. It gets an update every once in a while and it still has people who use it around the world, particulary in Italy where copyright law is even more represive then in the US. Lucky for us in the US the RIAA their movie industry counterpart have prooven over the last 8 years that they can't really do anything. We can still download anything we want from Bittorent or Gnutella with a very minimal chance of problems. It is also a good thing that Ants remains as a backup option should the copyright laws become more repressive.

I don't do much beta testing these days. I feel I have done my fair share of work. I am concentrating on my swordmanship. If anyone is interested in some tips shoot me a messege.

[Feather]

spam over load must find ban hammer

[RACKnRAIL]

spam over load must find ban hammer

You do need one. I think 9 times out of 10 you are here before a mod.

I vote for some more mods!!!

[tsafa1]

With Democrats soon in control for the White House and the Congress, and notoriously known for favoring Hollywood we may see a serious crackdown on filesharing. We may need to look re-focus on anonymous technology.