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Glossary

The words you meet in njMule and on the eD2K and Kad networks, in alphabetical order. Many come from eMule, whose terms njMule keeps so that people who know it feel at home.

A​

A4AF​

Asked for another file. A client that is a source of several of your downloads is asked for one of them at a time; the others list it with this state. njMule moves it to the download that needs it most, and you can move such sources by hand. See Transfers.

AICH​

Advanced Intelligent Corruption Handling. A tree of SHA-1 hashes over blocks of 180 KiB of a file, whose root can travel in the file's ed2k link (h=). When a part fails its check, njMule asks a source for the AICH recovery data of that part and downloads again only the blocks that are bad, instead of the whole part. Without a root in the link, njMule takes the one most sources agree on.

API token​

The secret that programs send to njMule's remote-control API, kept in the file api-token of the configuration folder. njmule --api-token prints it, njmule --new-api-token replaces it. See Remote control.

B​

Block​

A piece of 180 KiB (184,320 bytes) of a file: the unit in which data is asked for and in which AICH checks it. A part holds 53 blocks, the last one shorter.

Bootstrap​

Joining Kad for the first time, or again after a long pause, from contacts you give it: a nodes.dat from the web or from a file, or one client you know by its address and UDP port. See Servers and Kad.

Buddy​

A Kad node that other nodes can reach and that keeps a link open to a firewalled one. Others who want a file from the firewalled node ask the buddy, which passes the request on so that the firewalled node connects to them. njMule finds a buddy when it is firewalled, and serves as the buddy of one firewalled node when it is reachable. See NAT traversal.

C​

Callback​

Asking a client that others cannot reach to connect to you instead. On eD2K the server passes the request on; on Kad a buddy does, or a direct UDP message when the client's UDP port is open.

Category​

A group of downloads with a name, a tint, an incoming folder and a priority of its own, and file name patterns that sort new downloads into it. See Categories.

Chunk​

Another name for a part.

Client​

Any program on the eD2K and Kad networks that downloads and uploads files: njMule, eMule, aMule and others. The transfers list the clients you upload to, those waiting for you and, under Known Clients, those met in the last 90 days.

Comments and ratings​

What people say about a file and how they rate it, from Invalid / Corrupt / Fake to Excellent. Your comment on a shared file goes to the clients that download it and to Kad, where it is called a note; njMule shows the comments of a download's sources and those found on Kad. See Transfers.

Credits​

What a client earned with you by uploading to you. In your upload queue, its waiting time is multiplied by a factor from 1 to 10 that grows with what it gave you compared with what it got, so clients that shared with you are served sooner; others do the same for you. Credits are kept by user hash in clients.met, bound to the client's secure identification, and forgotten after 150 days without contact.

E​

eD2K​

The eDonkey2000 network: servers that know which files users share, and clients that exchange the files directly with one another. njMule speaks its protocol, as eMule does. See Servers and Kad.

A text that names a file on eD2K, starting with ed2k://: its name, size and hash, as in ed2k://|file|name|size|hash|/, optionally with an AICH root (h=), part hashes (p=) or sources. Links can also name a server, a server list or a list of Kad nodes. See eD2K links.

eMule​

The best-known client of eD2K and Kad, whose protocols, file formats and interface texts njMule follows. njMule is not affiliated with the eMule project.

F​

File hash​

The 128-bit MD4 hash that identifies a file on eD2K, written as 32 hexadecimal digits: the MD4 hash of the data for a file smaller than one part, and of the parts' own MD4 hashes for a larger one. Two files with the same hash have the same content, whatever their names.

Firewalled​

Kad's word for not reachable from outside: other nodes cannot connect to your TCP port, or send to your UDP port (UDP firewalled). It is the Kad counterpart of a LowID. See Ports and firewalls.

Friend slot​

An upload slot given to one friend for the current run: the friend goes before everyone waiting in the queue, also when the queue is full, and keeps the slot. See Messages.

G​

A search sent over UDP to the other known servers besides the one you are connected to. The Automatic method picks Kad or the server by what is connected. See Search.

Guest​

A second password of the web interface that lets someone look at the transfers, searches, servers, Kad and statistics without changing anything. See Guest access.

H​

Hash set​

The list of the MD4 hashes of a file's parts, which lets a download check each part as soon as it is complete.

HighID and LowID​

The ID a server gives you. When the server can connect to your TCP port, you get a HighID, derived from your IPv4 address. When it cannot, you get a LowID, a number below 16,777,216: other clients cannot connect to you directly and must ask through the server (a callback), and two LowID clients usually cannot reach each other on eD2K. See Ports and firewalls.

I​

ICH​

Intelligent corruption handling. A part that fails its check keeps its data while it is downloaded again and is checked after each block written into it, so it is whole again as soon as the bad block came in again, even without AICH.

Incoming folder​

Where finished downloads go. It is always shared. Set it in Options → Directories (Incoming Files); a category may have one of its own. See Data locations.

IP filter​

A list of address ranges njMule never talks to, read from ipfilter.dat, PeerGuardian or P2B lists and optionally updated from the web. Each range has a level, and ranges below the filter level (127 by default) block. Addresses under Always allowed are never blocked. See IP filter.

K​

Kad​

The serverless network of eMule, based on Kademlia: every client is a node that keeps contacts to others and stores a share of the index of keywords, sources and notes. It finds files and sources without any server. njMule speaks Kad 2. See Servers and Kad.

Kad ID​

Your 128-bit identifier on Kad, kept in preferencesKad.dat. The distance between two IDs decides which nodes store what, and which contacts the Kad view draws as near or far.

Known files​

The files njMule has hashed, downloaded or shared, with their hashes, kept in known.met (and the AICH trees in known2_64.met), so that they are not hashed again. Search results show the files you downloaded before; cancelled ones are remembered in cancelled.met.

L​

LowID​

See HighID and LowID.

M​

A link starting with magnet:?. njMule takes those that carry an eD2K hash (urn:ed2k: or urn:ed2khash:) as it takes an ed2k link, on the command line and in the window.

MiniMule​

The small status window that opens with a click on njMule's icon in the Windows notification area: connection, rates, finished downloads and free space. See Notification area.

N​

NAT traversal​

Connecting two clients that are both behind routers: each side sends packets that open its router to the other, then they talk over uTP or QUIC. See NAT traversal.

Nick​

The name others see in their upload lists and in chats; njMule until you choose one. Set it in Options → General.

nodes.dat​

The file of Kad contacts, in the configuration folder: Kad starts from it, and a fresh one from the web brings Kad back after a long pause. See Bootstrap.

O​

Obfuscation​

Protocol obfuscation scrambles the traffic with servers and clients so that simple filters cannot recognise eD2K and Kad. It is not encryption and hides nothing from those you talk to. It can be Disabled, Supported, Requested (the default) or Required. See Obfuscation.

Overhead​

The bytes of the protocol itself, besides the file data: requests, answers, searches and Kad traffic. The statistics show it apart.

P​

Part​

A piece of 9,728,000 bytes of a file, called a chunk in eMule; the last part of a file is shorter. Each part has its own MD4 hash and is checked as soon as it is complete; only checked parts are shared with others.

Part file​

An unfinished download in the temporary folder: the data in 001.part (or another number) and what is known about it in 001.part.met, the format eMule uses. See Files.

Portable mode​

njMule keeps all its data in a data folder next to the programs when an empty portable.flag file lies beside them. See Portable mode.

Preview​

Opening what has arrived of a video in the player of your choice before it is complete; njMule can fetch the first and last parts first for it. See Transfers.

Priority​

How much a file is favoured. A download's priority (Low, Normal, High or Auto, which favours rare files) decides which downloads look for sources and start first. A shared file's upload priority, from Very Low to Release, or Auto, scales the place in your queue of the clients that want it. See Release priority.

Profile​

All of njMule's own data on a computer: its configuration, identity, lists, unfinished downloads, caches and logs, spread over the folders of Data locations. --config-dir starts njMule on another profile.

Q​

Queue rank​

Your place in the upload queue of a source: 1 is next. It changes as others join or leave and with the credits each client has there. While you wait the source shows On Queue; Queue Full means it takes nobody more for now. See Downloads stay "Waiting".

R​

Release priority​

The highest upload priority of a shared file, meant for a file you are the first to share: its waiting clients count more than twice as much as those of a file of Normal priority.

S​

Scheduler​

Rules by weekday and time that change the speed limits and connections, and can stop or resume the downloads of a category. See Scheduler.

Secure identification (SUI)​

A proof, with an RSA key kept in cryptkey.dat, that a client really owns its user hash. It keeps others from taking your credits. Use secure identification turns it off.

Server​

A computer of the eD2K network that knows which files its users share. It answers searches and tells where a file's sources are, but holds no files. The list of servers is kept in server.met. See Servers and Kad.

server.met​

The file of known eD2K servers, in the configuration folder. A new profile starts with the list shipped with njMule; more can come from a server.met on the web or in a file.

Source​

A client that has all or part of a file you download. Each source shows what it does: Transferring, On Queue, Connecting, Asking, Queue Full, No needed parts or A4AF.

Source exchange​

Clients telling each other the other sources they know of a file they share, so that sources spread without asking a server or Kad.

Spam filter​

Two filters. The search spam filter rates search results by what you marked as spam before (names, sizes, hashes and the servers that sent them) and shows the spam muted. The message filters leave out chat messages with filtered words or links. See IP filter options and Message options.

Static server​

A server you keep in the list for good: it is never removed as dead, and automatic connection can keep to static servers only. They are kept in staticservers.dat.

T​

Temp folder​

Where unfinished downloads are kept as part files until they are complete; called Temporary Files in Options → Directories. See Data locations.

U​

Upload queue​

The clients waiting for a turn to download from you, ordered by how long they waited, their credits and the priority of the file they want; up to 5,000 by default (Queue size). They show under On Queue in the transfers.

Upload slot​

A turn to download from you. njMule opens as many slots as the upload limit allows and shares the bandwidth among them; a client keeps its slot for about one part, then the next one in the queue gets it.

UPnP, NAT-PMP and PCP​

Ways for njMule to ask your router to forward its ports, so others can reach you. njMule tries UPnP first (Forward the ports with UPnP, on by default), then NAT-PMP or PCP, and removes the forwarding when it exits. See Ports and firewalls.

User hash​

Your 128-bit identity on eD2K, made at the first start and kept in preferences.dat. Clients remember your credits under it. Never share it, and never run two clients with the same one at once.

uTP and QUIC​

Two ways to carry a connection over UDP, used for NAT traversal between firewalled clients: QUIC, encrypted with TLS 1.3, with clients that take it, otherwise uTP. See NAT traversal.