Difference between revisions of "How to super seed with a seedbox"

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How to super seed with a seedbox?
 
How to super seed with a seedbox?
  
−
== Abstract ==
+
== '''Super Seeding with a Seedbox: A Practical Guide''' ==
  
−
This super seeding article is about seeding the maximum amount of data, in the least possible time by utilizing seedboxes, instead of the traditional "superseed" of consecutive blocks being seeded.
+
'''What Is Super Seeding?'''
−
Here we show you how the get the maximum amount of data into the swarm, to serve thousands of users simultaneously.
 
  
−
We are going to use a multitude of seedboxes to achieve this.
+
'''Super seeding''' is a technique used to distribute large files quickly and efficiently to many users by minimizing duplication and maximizing the number of peers who receive unique pieces early.
  
−
=== Who is this target for? ===
+
In this guide, we go beyond traditional super seeding by using multiple seedboxes to push data into the swarm as fast as possible — similar to how large companies (like Blizzard) distribute updates via BitTorrent.
−
Content publishers, tracker maintainers etc. People who need their data swiftly to as many users as possible.
 
−
For example, Blizzard releases updates via Bittorrent, and they see a huge spike of traffic upon new releases, the only concern is getting as much of it out as possible as fast as possible, not just a single source of seed like traditional "superseed" is targeted to be.
 
  
−
This actually does not differ that much from what Blizzard does.
+
== Who Is This Guide For? ==
  
 +
'''Content publishers''' who need to deliver large files (like software, media, or datasets) to thousands of users rapidly.
 +
 +
'''Anyone who wants to leverage multiple seedboxes for high-speed, high-volume seeding.'''
 +
 +
== What You'll Need ==
 +
 +
'''Minimum Requirements:'''
 +
 +
1 main/fast seedbox (e.g. SSD or NVMe storage)
 +
 +
Multiple slave seedboxes (these can be smaller, cheaper boxes to act as mirrors)
 +
 +
The more individual seedboxes (with different IPs, disk I/O, etc.) you use, the better the overall distribution performance.
 +
 +
💡 S'''torage Type Tips:'''
 +
 +
For small torrents with many peers → use fast SSD/NVMe boxes.
 +
 +
For large torrents (50GB+) → use HDD-based seedboxes with large capacity.
 +
 +
== How Much Bandwidth Do You Need? ==
 +
 +
Use this formula:
 +
'''Total Data (MiB) / Time (seconds) = Required Bandwidth (MiB/s)'''
 +
 +
'''Example 1:'''
 +
 +
Target = 5 TiB in 1 week
 +
 +
5 TiB = 5,242,880 MiB
 +
 +
1 week = 604,800 seconds
 +
 +
Required speed = ~8.7 MiB/s
 +
 +
✅ '''One SSD seedbox should be enough
 +
'''
 +
'''Example 2:'''
 +
 +
Target = 1,000 TiB in 1 week
 +
 +
Required speed = ~1,734 MiB/s ≈ 20 Gbps
 +
 +
✅ '''This requires a cluster''', e.g. ~40 entry-level dedicated servers or a combination of 10 Gbps shared and dedicated seedboxes
 +
 +
 +
== Step-by-Step: Super Seeding Setup ==
 +
 +
'''1. Create the .torrent File'''
 +
 +
Use your favorite torrent client on the main (fast) seedbox to create the .torrent file. Add your tracker URLs and save it.
 +
 +
This main seedbox will act as the origin node that pushes the data to other seeders.
 +
 +
'''2. Distribute the .torrent File'''
 +
 +
Transfer the .torrent file to all your seedboxes using scp:
 +
'''scp file.torrent user@box1.pulsedmedia.com:watch/'''
 +
 +
Repeat for all seedboxes:
 +
 +
'''scp file.torrent user@box2.pulsedmedia.com:watch/'''
 +
'''scp file.torrent user@box3.pulsedmedia.com:watch/'''
 +
...
 +
 +
'''The watch folder auto-loads torrents on most Pulsed Media boxes.'''
 +
 +
💡 '''Pro Tip:''' Wait a few minutes after seeding to one box to allow it to start downloading before adding more slaves. This speeds up distribution.
 +
 +
'''3. Warm Up the Swarm'''
 +
 +
Once your seedboxes are seeding, monitor the swarm’s status. Make sure each slave gets a chunk of the data. The more unique pieces spread quickly, the faster the swarm builds.
 +
 +
It’s normal for the fastest boxes to finish first. If some are slower, restart their torrent clients to re-boost performance.
 +
 +
'''4. Release the Swarm!'''
 +
 +
Once your seedboxes are mostly seeded (ideally ≥90%), you can safely release the .torrent file to the public.
 +
 +
Why Wait?
 +
Releasing too early might cause slow or stalled downloads if users hit seeders who haven’t finished downloading yet. Waiting ensures a smoother experience for your audience.
 +
 +
Example:
 +
File Size: 10 GiB
 +
 +
1,000 users = 10,000 GiB or ~10 TiB of bandwidth needed
 +
 +
Seedboxes must serve that demand quickly, or the swarm will stall
 +
 +
== Speeding It Up Even More ==
 +
 +
'''Want to push even faster?
 +
'''
 +
Use more boxes with varied networks and locations
 +
 +
Prefer 10Gbps connections for large bursts
 +
 +
Ask Pulsed Media about custom seedbox clusters or burst plans
 +
 +
Restart slow-performing clients to refresh peer lists
 +
 +
💬 Contact sales@pulsedmedia.com if you’re a publisher with high-volume distribution needs — they can help build an optimized, scalable solution.
 +
 +
== Need Help Scaling? ==
 +
 +
Whether you're seeding 10 TiB or 10 PiB, Pulsed Media can help build a cost-effective solution tailored to your goals. Contact them for:
 +
 +
Seedbox clusters
 +
 +
Automated distribution scripting
 +
 +
Custom tracker or swarm planning
 +
 +
📧 sales@pulsedmedia.com
  
 
== What's needed ==
 
== What's needed ==
  
−
You need multiple seedboxes in order to do this, at the very least you need 1 very fast, and multiple "slave seeders". You can work with a few upto dozens or even hundreds*.
+
You need multiple seedboxes in order to do this, at the very least you need 1 very fast, and multiple "slave seeders". You can work with a few up to dozens or even hundreds* of seedboxes. Type of seedboxes depends on type of data. If small data, a lot downloaders, then small fast (ie. SSD Seedboxes or NVMe Seedboxes). If big data set (ie. 50+ GiB) then you might need multiple HDD based big storage seedboxes.
  
−
The type of seedboxes depends upon your budget, the idea behind using many is to get as many discreet I/O resources, IPs etc. involved as possible, all of these instances will have differing timings etc. ensuring faster to connect speeds to new downloaders (leechers).
+
The type of seedboxes and quantity depends upon your budget, the idea behind using many is to get as many discreet I/O resources, IPs etc. involved as possible, all of these instances will have differing timings etc. ensuring faster to connect speeds to new downloaders (leechers).
  
−
*) Ask support to help distribute your .torrent file to the hundreds of boxes, it should be scripted.
+
*) Ask support to help distribute your .torrent file to the hundreds of boxes, it should be scripted. Basic idea is to scp / rsync to watch folder.
  
 
=== Recommendation of resources ===
 
=== Recommendation of resources ===
Line 27: Line 138:
 
We recommend using many of our shared slots, this way you get access to as many discreet resources as possible with the least amount of money - you don't necessarily need a big budget cluster of dedicated servers.
 
We recommend using many of our shared slots, this way you get access to as many discreet resources as possible with the least amount of money - you don't necessarily need a big budget cluster of dedicated servers.
  
−
For example, get a few 2012 slots for the initial fast seeds, then a bunch of 2009+, Value or Super slots, maybe in conjunction with a few dedis, depending upon your budget and needs.
+
For example, get a [https://pulsedmedia.com/ssd-seedbox.php SSD Seedbox] for the initial source, then a bunch of [https://pulsedmedia.com/value10g-seedbox.php 10Gbps Seedboxes] for single large torrent. Vice-versa if you have smaller torrent or multiple torrents.
  
 
==== How much do i need resources? ====
 
==== How much do i need resources? ====
  
 
First we need to determine your target of data seeded (X) in allotted time (Y).
 
First we need to determine your target of data seeded (X) in allotted time (Y).
 +
Also we need to remember, more individual instances there is, the more stable the speeds will be.
  
−
If X=5Tb and Y=1 week:
+
If X=5TiB and Y=1 week:
  
 
The formula goes:
 
The formula goes:
−
X in Megabytes / Y in seconds
+
X in Megabytes / Y in seconds == Bandwidth required in MiB/s
−
== Bandwidth required
 
  
 
5 242 880 / 604 800 == 8.7Megabytes per second.
 
5 242 880 / 604 800 == 8.7Megabytes per second.
  
−
In this instance, you will do fine with just a single 2012 slot, and might get away with a single 100Mbps.
+
In this instance, you will do fine with just a single [https://pulsedmedia.com/ssd-seedbox.php SSD Seedbox].
 +
 
 +
 
 +
X=1 000TiB, Y=1 week:
 +
1 048 576 000 MiB / 604 800 (seconds) == 1 733.8 Megabytes per second, or roughly 20Gbps.
 +
 
 +
Since on shared slots we should account for 10% bandwidth max on [https://pulsedmedia.com/value10g-seedbox.php 10Gbps Seedboxes], we get:
 +
1Gbps per 10Gbps slot: ~110 MiB/s  Until traffic limit met, then ~10MiB/s
 +
 
 +
[https://pulsedmedia.com/minidedi-dedicated-servers-finland.php Dedicated servers] in practice are about 50% bandwidth max on 1Gbps, albeit you might be able to achieve 90% for a few days.
 +
1Gbps Dedicated: ~55 MiB/s
 +
 
 +
We should probably go for the dedicated servers, instead of shared seedboxes in this case.
 +
40x entry level dedicated servers will do this fine.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
 
 +
== SUPER SEEDING! ==
 +
 
 +
 
 +
=== Torrent creation ===
 +
Create your .torrent file with your favorite on the node you pick as the main node.
 +
Choose your preferred trackers etc.
 +
 
 +
There's really nothing special on this stage.
 +
 
 +
=== Transferring .torrent file AND warming things up ===
 +
 
 +
We have multiple ways to do this, here's the preferred way.
 +
 
 +
* Login via SSH to the node where you created the torrent file
 +
* Go to the directory containing your torrent file, we'll call it "file.torrent"
 +
* command to transfer the file: scp file.torrent USERNAME@SERVER:watch/
 +
 
 +
Transfer it to the 2nd node, if your username is super2 and server name is seeder2.pulsedmedia.com, the command would be: scp file.torrent super2@seeder2.pulsedmedia.com:watch/
 +
Watch directory: You can load torrent files here, and they are automatically loaded in a while.
 +
 
 +
At this stage we should go for a short coffee break to allow the 2nd 1Gbps node snatch the data! This way we get the 2nd stage much much quicker.
 +
 
 +
=== Warm up the superseeding swarm ===
 +
 
 +
Now repeat the SCP for all the slave seeder services, for example:
 +
 
 +
scp file.torrent super@slave1.pulsedmedia.com:watch/
 +
scp file.torrent super@slave2.pulsedmedia.com:watch/
 +
scp file.torrent super@slave3.pulsedmedia.com:watch/
 +
scp file.torrent super@slave4.pulsedmedia.com:watch/
 +
....
 +
 
 +
Continue until you have it on all nodes.
 +
The slaves should get the data at a combined rate of about ~2000MB/s or more and accelerating all the way. Check the state from the last loaded slave node.
 +
 
 +
=== Release the SWARM! ===
 +
 
 +
Depending on the size of the data, if it's just a few gigabytes, it's probably safe to release quite early on, depending how fast you think your end users will start snatching it up.
 +
If it starts to load on the end users within seconds on the thousands upon release, it's better to wait until the slaves are at 100% or very near 100%, otherwise there will be serious hiccups at the last few % for the swarm, delaying the end users from getting their data. That's something none of us wants!
 +
 
 +
Let's assume your package is 10GiB and you expect 1000 users to snatch it up immediately, it's 10 000 gigabytes loaded up immediately.
 +
Seeding this all will take ~16hrs 21minutes, not accounting for end user to end user seeding.
 +
It's however likely you will see initial speed spikes in the range of 3000 MiB/s so the first few users will get it much much quicker. As time goes on, the seeding speed decreases because the fast peers have already finished and the slow ones keeps on dragging it out and consuming upload slots. You can re-boost the performance by simple restarting torrent client on the slave(s).
 +
 
 +
The total target in this example for 10GiB package is more than 10 000 end users.
 +
If the package is just 1GiB, then the 100TiB accounts for 100 000 end users. That's quite a few!
 +
And that is ignoring the end user to end user seeding.
 +
 
 +
== Speeding things up even further ==
 +
 
 +
There are ways to speed things up even further, and we'll be happy to help you in that regard, just contact sales and ask what we can do for you, and what is your target seeding time for amount of data.
  
−
X=100Tb, Y=1 week:
+
If you are a content publisher looking to provide super seeding for hundreds of terabytes to dozens of petabytes of data quickly we are happy to help you achieve that goal cost-effectively. We are happy to do some research and development to make is as smooth and cost-effective as possible for you all the way to a complete turn key solution. Contact sales@pulsedmedia.com
−
104 857 600 / 604 800 == 173.4 Megabytes per second, or roughly 2Gbps.
 
  
−
Since on shared slots we should account for 20% bandwidth max on 1Gbps, and on 100Mbps about 50% for longer term averages, we get:
 
−
200Mbps per 1Gbps slot: 25 MB/s
 
−
50Mbps per 100Mbps slot: 6.2 MB/s
 
−
Dedicated servers in practice are about 25-40% bandwidth max on 1Gbps, albeit you might be able to achieve 90% for a few days, and on 100Mbps about 90%.
 
  
−
We choose 2x 1Gbps for getting things started, for a combined: 50 MB/s
+
[[Category:seedbox guides]]
−
and remainder as 100Mbps slots: 123.4 / 6.2 = 20 slots for a total of: 124 MB/s
+
[[Category:guides]]
−
Combined: 174 MB/s
 

Latest revision as of 11:47, 18 April 2025

How to super seed with a seedbox?

Super Seeding with a Seedbox: A Practical Guide

What Is Super Seeding?

Super seeding is a technique used to distribute large files quickly and efficiently to many users by minimizing duplication and maximizing the number of peers who receive unique pieces early.

In this guide, we go beyond traditional super seeding by using multiple seedboxes to push data into the swarm as fast as possible — similar to how large companies (like Blizzard) distribute updates via BitTorrent.

Who Is This Guide For?

Content publishers who need to deliver large files (like software, media, or datasets) to thousands of users rapidly.

Anyone who wants to leverage multiple seedboxes for high-speed, high-volume seeding.

What You'll Need

Minimum Requirements:

1 main/fast seedbox (e.g. SSD or NVMe storage)

Multiple slave seedboxes (these can be smaller, cheaper boxes to act as mirrors)

The more individual seedboxes (with different IPs, disk I/O, etc.) you use, the better the overall distribution performance.

💡 Storage Type Tips:

For small torrents with many peers → use fast SSD/NVMe boxes.

For large torrents (50GB+) → use HDD-based seedboxes with large capacity.

How Much Bandwidth Do You Need?

Use this formula: Total Data (MiB) / Time (seconds) = Required Bandwidth (MiB/s)

Example 1:

Target = 5 TiB in 1 week

5 TiB = 5,242,880 MiB

1 week = 604,800 seconds

Required speed = ~8.7 MiB/s

✅ One SSD seedbox should be enough Example 2:

Target = 1,000 TiB in 1 week

Required speed = ~1,734 MiB/s ≈ 20 Gbps

✅ This requires a cluster, e.g. ~40 entry-level dedicated servers or a combination of 10 Gbps shared and dedicated seedboxes


Step-by-Step: Super Seeding Setup

1. Create the .torrent File

Use your favorite torrent client on the main (fast) seedbox to create the .torrent file. Add your tracker URLs and save it.

This main seedbox will act as the origin node that pushes the data to other seeders.

2. Distribute the .torrent File

Transfer the .torrent file to all your seedboxes using scp: scp file.torrent user@box1.pulsedmedia.com:watch/

Repeat for all seedboxes:

scp file.torrent user@box2.pulsedmedia.com:watch/ scp file.torrent user@box3.pulsedmedia.com:watch/ ...

The watch folder auto-loads torrents on most Pulsed Media boxes.

💡 Pro Tip: Wait a few minutes after seeding to one box to allow it to start downloading before adding more slaves. This speeds up distribution.

3. Warm Up the Swarm

Once your seedboxes are seeding, monitor the swarm’s status. Make sure each slave gets a chunk of the data. The more unique pieces spread quickly, the faster the swarm builds.

It’s normal for the fastest boxes to finish first. If some are slower, restart their torrent clients to re-boost performance.

4. Release the Swarm!

Once your seedboxes are mostly seeded (ideally ≥90%), you can safely release the .torrent file to the public.

Why Wait? Releasing too early might cause slow or stalled downloads if users hit seeders who haven’t finished downloading yet. Waiting ensures a smoother experience for your audience.

Example: File Size: 10 GiB

1,000 users = 10,000 GiB or ~10 TiB of bandwidth needed

Seedboxes must serve that demand quickly, or the swarm will stall

Speeding It Up Even More

Want to push even faster? Use more boxes with varied networks and locations

Prefer 10Gbps connections for large bursts

Ask Pulsed Media about custom seedbox clusters or burst plans

Restart slow-performing clients to refresh peer lists

💬 Contact sales@pulsedmedia.com if you’re a publisher with high-volume distribution needs — they can help build an optimized, scalable solution.

Need Help Scaling?

Whether you're seeding 10 TiB or 10 PiB, Pulsed Media can help build a cost-effective solution tailored to your goals. Contact them for:

Seedbox clusters

Automated distribution scripting

Custom tracker or swarm planning

📧 sales@pulsedmedia.com

What's needed

You need multiple seedboxes in order to do this, at the very least you need 1 very fast, and multiple "slave seeders". You can work with a few up to dozens or even hundreds* of seedboxes. Type of seedboxes depends on type of data. If small data, a lot downloaders, then small fast (ie. SSD Seedboxes or NVMe Seedboxes). If big data set (ie. 50+ GiB) then you might need multiple HDD based big storage seedboxes.

The type of seedboxes and quantity depends upon your budget, the idea behind using many is to get as many discreet I/O resources, IPs etc. involved as possible, all of these instances will have differing timings etc. ensuring faster to connect speeds to new downloaders (leechers).

  • ) Ask support to help distribute your .torrent file to the hundreds of boxes, it should be scripted. Basic idea is to scp / rsync to watch folder.

Recommendation of resources

We recommend using many of our shared slots, this way you get access to as many discreet resources as possible with the least amount of money - you don't necessarily need a big budget cluster of dedicated servers.

For example, get a SSD Seedbox for the initial source, then a bunch of 10Gbps Seedboxes for single large torrent. Vice-versa if you have smaller torrent or multiple torrents.

How much do i need resources?

First we need to determine your target of data seeded (X) in allotted time (Y). Also we need to remember, more individual instances there is, the more stable the speeds will be.

If X=5TiB and Y=1 week:

The formula goes: X in Megabytes / Y in seconds == Bandwidth required in MiB/s

5 242 880 / 604 800 == 8.7Megabytes per second.

In this instance, you will do fine with just a single SSD Seedbox.


X=1 000TiB, Y=1 week: 1 048 576 000 MiB / 604 800 (seconds) == 1 733.8 Megabytes per second, or roughly 20Gbps.

Since on shared slots we should account for 10% bandwidth max on 10Gbps Seedboxes, we get: 1Gbps per 10Gbps slot: ~110 MiB/s Until traffic limit met, then ~10MiB/s

Dedicated servers in practice are about 50% bandwidth max on 1Gbps, albeit you might be able to achieve 90% for a few days. 1Gbps Dedicated: ~55 MiB/s

We should probably go for the dedicated servers, instead of shared seedboxes in this case. 40x entry level dedicated servers will do this fine.


SUPER SEEDING!

Torrent creation

Create your .torrent file with your favorite on the node you pick as the main node. Choose your preferred trackers etc.

There's really nothing special on this stage.

Transferring .torrent file AND warming things up

We have multiple ways to do this, here's the preferred way.

  • Login via SSH to the node where you created the torrent file
  • Go to the directory containing your torrent file, we'll call it "file.torrent"
  • command to transfer the file: scp file.torrent USERNAME@SERVER:watch/

Transfer it to the 2nd node, if your username is super2 and server name is seeder2.pulsedmedia.com, the command would be: scp file.torrent super2@seeder2.pulsedmedia.com:watch/ Watch directory: You can load torrent files here, and they are automatically loaded in a while.

At this stage we should go for a short coffee break to allow the 2nd 1Gbps node snatch the data! This way we get the 2nd stage much much quicker.

Warm up the superseeding swarm

Now repeat the SCP for all the slave seeder services, for example: 

scp file.torrent super@slave1.pulsedmedia.com:watch/
scp file.torrent super@slave2.pulsedmedia.com:watch/
scp file.torrent super@slave3.pulsedmedia.com:watch/
scp file.torrent super@slave4.pulsedmedia.com:watch/
....

Continue until you have it on all nodes. The slaves should get the data at a combined rate of about ~2000MB/s or more and accelerating all the way. Check the state from the last loaded slave node.

Release the SWARM!

Depending on the size of the data, if it's just a few gigabytes, it's probably safe to release quite early on, depending how fast you think your end users will start snatching it up. If it starts to load on the end users within seconds on the thousands upon release, it's better to wait until the slaves are at 100% or very near 100%, otherwise there will be serious hiccups at the last few % for the swarm, delaying the end users from getting their data. That's something none of us wants!

Let's assume your package is 10GiB and you expect 1000 users to snatch it up immediately, it's 10 000 gigabytes loaded up immediately. Seeding this all will take ~16hrs 21minutes, not accounting for end user to end user seeding. It's however likely you will see initial speed spikes in the range of 3000 MiB/s so the first few users will get it much much quicker. As time goes on, the seeding speed decreases because the fast peers have already finished and the slow ones keeps on dragging it out and consuming upload slots. You can re-boost the performance by simple restarting torrent client on the slave(s).

The total target in this example for 10GiB package is more than 10 000 end users. If the package is just 1GiB, then the 100TiB accounts for 100 000 end users. That's quite a few! And that is ignoring the end user to end user seeding.

Speeding things up even further

There are ways to speed things up even further, and we'll be happy to help you in that regard, just contact sales and ask what we can do for you, and what is your target seeding time for amount of data.

If you are a content publisher looking to provide super seeding for hundreds of terabytes to dozens of petabytes of data quickly we are happy to help you achieve that goal cost-effectively. We are happy to do some research and development to make is as smooth and cost-effective as possible for you all the way to a complete turn key solution. Contact sales@pulsedmedia.com

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