You could always setup a linux server at home... use it as a passthrough for downloading your torrents.
Can the university see what you send when your torrents are encrypted? Also, when you are given a max bandwidth of 3GB, is the combined total of downloading and uploading?
Since the university uses a packet filter to read the packets that pass through your connection, it won't be able to read the encrypted ones properly, so they won't know if the data is torrent or not. Cacho's method is also pretty much the same, but instead, you have a tunnel between your home and your university computer, so instead of downloading directly, university -> source, you're going university -> home -> source [tunnel between unversity and home is encrypted, but not between home and source]. By tunneling, you can also use the excuse that you're connecting to your home computer for some files there, or whatever, if IT asks you. [ note: tunnelling = passthrough ]
I've used DC++, it requires you to share a certain amount before you can access some networks. It's an alright program, but I don't remember how safe it is. I just keep to torrents anyways... llewellyn - That's pretty much what I meant, but I was thinking of PuTTY instead...
I'll tell you what will make you a sad panda....when the university shuts off your ethernet port for bypassing security systems. Trust me, I work for the IT department of a university, the security people are pretty damn good and if they suspect anything, won't hesitate to block a user. Yes, you can encrypt it, but if they see an unusually large amount of data coming in and out of your computer, they will suspect something and will likely take some sort of action.
Todd... Use to work for my univ IT dept to http://www.puk.ac.za/it/index.html and i can honestly say, depending on the size of the univ's network and Inter net connection, you can successfully bypass the proxy server with a tunneling program and they wont notice... Because the average dl / ul speed is a max of 6 to 25 kb/s .. and it wont affect the badnwith.. Thus, they wont notce
but Neil , you firstly need to have access to that server as well as a username and password correct? which i dont think he has xpt if u supplied it to him and explain the complicated procuder to use "putty:" ;-P
Depends on the college. Students have tried that before at my college. Others have spoofed computer lab MAC addresses to get around bandwidth caps placed on the dorm connections. Some will VPN into campus thinking IT won't catch them. Students think of creative ways to get around things, and every time, they get blocked. I don't know what IT is like at his school, but if they're anyhting like the IT dept at mine, you do not fuck around.
Todd, just curious, are you allowed to VPN to your home computer for legit reasons (ie. remote controlling your home computers, or saving documents on a home server)?
From campus, yeah, we can VPN into anything, but any extremely large amount of traffic, especially upload traffic, will raise red flags