Getting Started
From Dc-qt
The purpose of this page is to get you started using dc-qt without suffering major brain damage (yes it could happen if you are not an experienced DirectConnect user). Please remember that that we are currently in an alpha release stage and everything is not as automatic as it could be.
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Starting the user interface
First of all, you need to install dc-qt. See Installation for that.
Once installed, you can simply run dc-qt by executing the command "ui".
"ui" will attempt to start the backend process called "backend" which is the actual DC client. If this fails, you will get an error message.
If everything works out OK, DC++ will create a directory called .dc++ in your home directory where it will store configuration files, file lists and other things. NOTE: This directory is used by linuxdc++ as well, and can be shared between the two. However, you must not run the two programs at the same time.
Change your settings
Now, the first thing you should do is to configure your preferences. Click on the toolbar icon with the text "Settings". You should have a couple of default values filled in already. If not, something is wrong with the backend connection, see below. The settings should be self-explaining except the active / passive mode stuff. Active mode is the most desireable mode, you will get more search results and less problems with file transfers.
Active mode requires that you can accept connections on two ports. If you are behind a hardware firewall (such as a broadband router), you must enter your EXTERNAL IP address, choose 2 ports for incoming connections and configure your router to do port forwarding for these ports to your computer. If you are behind a software firewall, such as Linux iptables, you must allow connections on these ports. A program called "firestarter" is a great tool for doing this.
If you go with passive mode, you dont have to care about any firewall settings.
You dont need to change anything on the Advanced settings page for now. Press Ok and restart the gui for the settings to take effect. You may have to wait a minute or so before restarting (yes we are trying to fix it :) ).
Connect to a hub
Press the public hubs button. A dialog will appear. Choose a hub from the list or enter an address manually. Press connect. Voila.
A little more advanced approach
If you are having problems with starting the backend or getting a backend connection, you may run the backend separately yourself. This works better for several obscure reasons.
First, you need to check what password was generated for the backend. It is stored somewhere in the .qt directory of your home directory. You may change it if you like. Then, start the backend with "backend --password=<yourpassword>". This procedure will probably change in the next version. The backend will print some messages and then wait for a connection. Start the UI. It will connect to the backend automatically.
How to connect to the backend from a remote location
One of the nice features of dc-qt it that you don't have to run the backend and the ui on the same machine. If you want to do this, keep in mind that the information is sent unencrypted over the network so you might want to use an SSH tunnel. On the other hand, the DirectConnect protocol is unencrypted as well, so it may not matter.
First, start the UI on the same machine as the backend is running and go to the advanced settings page. Select a port number and a password for the backend connection. Shut down the ui and keep the backend running, or shut it down and start in manually instead.
Start the ui on your remote machine, go to the advanced settings page and enter the hostname or ip of the backend machine, the port number and the password. Restart the UI.
