Chapter 3. First start
gtk-gnutella is abbreviated as GTKG for short.
GUI overview
A document called "Gnutella for users" is available on the Internet. GnuFU and also GnuFU .
The figure below labels the areas of the gtk-gnutella screen. In most cases, menu items, context help and other documents will also use the same names to refer to these areas. This is for the GTK2 version of the program. The GTK1 program may locate the status icons in the status bar.
The mid-section of the screen is divided in two. To the left is the side bar. The side bar contains a navigation tree, a search list, and gnutella status information. To the right is the "working area". This changes depending on the current activity. The following table gives a short summary of each area. These are covered in more detail in the following sections.
| Area | Sub-Area | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| Menu | The menus are File, Transfer, Search, View and Help. Each menu has several entries that change the working area, bring up the preferences dialog, or alter the screen configuration. | |
| Status Icons | Icons include CPU overload, file copying, library SHA, download SHA, library building, firewall and GnutellaNet status. Icons may change according to current conditions | |
| Search Bar | Contains a text field for entering new search criteria. Also contains a drop-down filter selection button, and search and passive search buttons. | |
| Working Area | This area changes depending on your current activity. It is one of the following nine items. | |
| GnutellaNet Connections | This shows detailed information about all nodes directly connected to gtk-gnutella. Various flags are shown as well as the type of client, location, etc. | |
| GnutellaNet Statistics | This working area has tabs along the top. Statistics relevant to the currently selected tab are shown. | |
| GnutellaNet Hostcache | This area manages previously seen hosts seen on gnutella. Having a full host cache allows quicker connection to the GnutellaNet when starting. These entries are also relayed to other nodes to help them connect to gnutella. | |
| Downloads | When downloads are the active working area, a list of all downloads is shown. Details on the currently selected download are shown at the bottom of the working area. | |
| Uploads | This working area shows files being sent to other gnutella nodes. | |
| Upload History | This working area show previously sent files (or partially sent files). | |
| Search Results | Gives all results found for the selected search. The search is selected via the "search list" or by using the "Current search" selection button. Any of the search results can be scheduled for downloading. | |
| Search Monitor | Shows searches passing through our node. | |
| Search Stats | Statistics about where searches are coming from etc. | |
| Side bar | The entire side bar can be hidden with the "F8" key or using the "View|show Sidebar" menu. The side bar contains the following three items. | |
| Navigation Tree | An alternate to using the menu to change gtk-gnutellas working area. This (and most items) can be disable by using the "View" menu. ("View|show Navigation Tree"). | |
| Search List | Lists gtk-gnutella searches. Greyed values are inactive. Clicking on an item changes the working area to show that search. | |
| GnutellaNet Status | Graphical summary of the GnutellaNet status. | |
| Status bar | Contains messages from time to time. Also contains estimates of connected nodes, available files, size of all files and up time. A button at the bottom left can disconnect from gnutella while leaving gtk-gnutella running. Current downloads and uploads will complete. | |
When first run, gtk-gnutella will be very busy trying to connect to the GnutellaNet for the first little while. When three nodes are found, gtk-gnutella is fully connected to the network. The GnutellaNet Status will show "3/3 connections". If this does not happen after several minutes, gtk-gnutella might be having problems seeing the Internet. You will have to consult the Network troubleshooting chapter.
There are also two dialog screens. Once is under the File menu and is named Preferences . This is a tabbed dialog that allows gtk-gnutella to be configured. There are many options in the preference dialogs. The other dialog allows you to build filters to improve search results.
gtk-gnutella activities
There are several distinct activities that you can perform with gtk-gnutella. A required activity is getting connected to gnutella. Once this is configured properly for your little section of the Internet, gtk-gnutella will take care of this for you with little or no attention. However, when you first use gtk-gnutella, it can be rather daunting to get proper network connectivity. The good news is the gtk-gnutella can work partially even with limited network connectivity. If the status icon, second from the left, has a smiley face with sun-glasses, then you are in good shape!
There are several variation of the "firewalled" icon. Firewalled is a mis-leading term. It actually means that gtk-gnutella is not detecting good connections to the rest of the GnutellaNet. It is ok to continue with this icon, if you have connections showing in the GnutellaNet Status area (ie. "3/3 Connections").
Another task that gtk-gnutella helps you with is finding files. This is called "Searching". There are all kinds of people connected to gnutella with different purposes. Some people are spreading spam, spy ware and viruses. Some people are mis-labelling files. Some people mistakenly or purposely share corrupted files. gtk-gnutella has a very powerful filter mechanism that can help to reduce the number of the bad files found in a search. gtk-gnutella also has some built-in features to reduce the amount of spam and other bogus files.
From the search screen, you can highlight a result and use the "Download selected" button to start downloading. The download screen will show you all files that you are downloading and the progress each has made.
Ok, so maybe you wonder where all the files come from? This is the last major activity that gtk-gnutella facilitates. It allows you to share your files for others to download. This takes some care as you might have some information that you wish to keep private. By default, gtk-gnutella will share anything downloaded. These files are generally in "~/gtk-gnutella-downloads/complete". Some people will disconnect you if you don't share anything (or very little). Of course, if you live somewhere where you afraid of getting sued, you might not share so much. There is nothing wrong with sharing files that do not have restrictions; manuals like this one for instance.