Networks
The Networks window manages your connections to the eD2k and Kademlia networks. It is the first thing you see when aMule starts.
Overview
The window is split into two panels separated by a draggable divider:
- Upper panel — a tabbed notebook with two tabs: ED2K and Kad.
- Lower panel — a tabbed notebook with four tabs: aMule Log, Server Info, ED2K Info, and Kad Info.
ED2K
The ED2K tab manages your connection to the eDonkey server network.
Connecting
Click the Connect button in the main aMule toolbar to connect to any server in the list. This is the same button that connects to Kad: it connects to both eD2k and Kademlia at once when both networks are enabled in Preferences. aMule tries each server in priority order — High, then Normal, then Low — until a connection is established.
To connect to a specific server instead, double-click its row in the server list. aMule disconnects from the current server first if necessary.
To disconnect, click the Disconnect button to stop an active connection or cancel an ongoing connection attempt.
Updating the Server List from a URL
The URL field at the top of the ED2K tab contains the address of a remote server.met file. Click Update (or press Enter while the URL field is focused) to download a fresh list of servers from that address.
aMule pre-populates this field with a known working URL on first run and remembers whatever you last entered.
You only need to update the server list occasionally. Once you have a populated list, aMule keeps track of which servers are reachable.
Adding a Server Manually
Fill in the Name (optional), Address (IP or hostname), and Port fields, then click Add. When a new server is added the fields clear automatically. If the server address is already in the list, the existing entry's name is updated instead and the fields are left unchanged.
Server List
Each row in the server list represents one known eD2k server:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Server Name | Human-readable name of the server |
| Address | IP address or hostname |
| Port | TCP port |
| Description | Server description (if provided) |
| Ping | Round-trip latency in milliseconds |
| Users | Number of users currently connected |
| Files | Number of files available on the server |
| Priority | Connection priority: Low, Normal, or High |
| Failed | Number of consecutive failed connection attempts |
| Static | Whether the server is marked as static (see below) |
| Version | Server software version |
| TCP Flags | Supported TCP capabilities |
| UDP Flags | Supported UDP capabilities |
The currently connected server is highlighted.
Right-Click Context Menu
Right-clicking one or more servers opens a context menu:
| Option | Action |
|---|---|
| Connect to server / Reconnect to server | Connect directly to the selected server |
| Priority → Low / Normal / High | Set the connection priority for the selected server(s) |
| Mark server as static | Prevent the server from being removed during automatic list cleanup |
| Mark server as non-static | Remove the static protection |
| Remove server / Remove servers | Delete the selected server(s) from the list |
| Remove all servers | Delete every server from the list |
| Copy eD2k link to clipboard / Copy eD2k links to clipboard | Copy the server's ed2k:// link as plain text |
You can also press the Delete key to remove the currently selected server(s) without opening the context menu.
You cannot remove the server you are currently connected to. Disconnect first.
Static servers are never removed during automatic list cleanup. Mark your preferred servers as static to ensure they remain in your list across restarts.
Kademlia (Kad)
The Kad tab manages your connection to the Kademlia distributed network. Unlike ED2K, Kad does not rely on centralised servers.
Connecting
Click Bootstrap from known clients to connect to the Kademlia network using the node list already stored on disk (nodes.dat). This is the standard way to start Kad.
Alternatively, clicking the Connect button on the main aMule toolbar connects to both ED2K and Kad simultaneously (if both are enabled in Preferences).
To disconnect, click Disconnect Kad to stop the Kademlia connection. You can reconnect at any time using Bootstrap from known clients.
Updating the Nodes List from a URL
The URL field contains the address of a remote nodes.dat file. Click Update (or press Enter in the URL field) to download a fresh list.
Updating the nodes list removes your current nodes and restarts the Kademlia connection. A confirmation dialog will appear before any changes are made.
You do not need to update the nodes list regularly. aMule keeps nodes.dat up to date while it is running. Only update manually if you cannot connect to Kad at all.
Nodes Stats Graph
The graph displays the number of Kad nodes known to your client over time. Three lines are shown:
| Line | Description |
|---|---|
| Current | The node count at each sample point |
| Running average | Smoothed average over recent samples |
| Session average | Average since aMule started |
The graph auto-scales upward as the node count grows. A Nodes (N) label above the graph shows the current number of known Kad nodes at a glance.
Bootstrapping from a Specific Node
If you know the IP address and port of a Kad node, enter it in the four IP octet fields and the Port field, then click Connect. The Connect button is enabled only when all five fields contain a value.
Log and Information Panels
The lower panel contains four tabs with live status information.
aMule Log
A scrollable log of all application events: connections, downloads, errors, and internal messages. Click Reset to clear the log.
Server Info
A scrollable log of eD2k server events: connection attempts, server messages, and status updates. Click Reset to clear the log.
ED2K Info
Live eD2k connection details:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| eD2k Status | Connected or Not Connected |
| IP:Port | Your external IP address and TCP port (when HighID), or Server (when LowID) |
| ID | Your numeric eD2k user ID |
| (blank label) | HighID or LowID |
A HighID means your ports are reachable from the internet and you have full connectivity. A LowID means you are behind a firewall or NAT and other clients cannot connect to you directly, which significantly reduces transfer performance. See Network Connectivity for how to fix this.
Kad Info
Live Kademlia connection details (shown only when Kad is running):
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Kademlia Status | Running, Running in LAN mode, or Not running |
| Kademlia client ID | Your 128-bit Kad identity as a hex string |
| Status | Connected or Disconnected |
| Connection State | OK, or Firewalled — open TCP port N in your router or firewall |
| UDP Connection State | OK, or Firewalled — open UDP port N in your router or firewall |
| Firewalled state | Buddy connection status (only shown when firewalled) |
| IP address | Your external IP address as seen by the Kad network |
| Indexed sources | Number of file sources your node is indexing for the network |
| Indexed keywords | Number of search keywords your node is indexing |
| Indexed notes | Number of file comments your node is indexing |
| Indexed load | Total indexing load |
| Average Users | Estimated total number of users on the Kad network |
| Average Files | Estimated total number of files on the Kad network |
The Firewalled state row only appears when Kad is connected and at least one of your ports (TCP or UDP) is firewalled. If both Connection State and UDP Connection State show OK, this row is not shown at all — that is the normal, healthy case.
When a port is firewalled, aMule attempts to find a buddy — another Kad node that relays incoming connections on your behalf. The row then reflects the current buddy status:
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
No buddy required - TCP port open / No buddy required - UDP port open | Only one of the two ports is firewalled, so no buddy is needed |
No buddy | A buddy is needed but none has been found yet |
Connecting to buddy | aMule is establishing a buddy connection |
Connected to buddy at <IP:Port> | A buddy is connected and relaying for you |
For the best Kad performance, both TCP and UDP ports should show OK. If either shows Firewalled, open and forward the indicated port in your router or firewall.
You can copy the contents of the ED2K Info and Kad Info panels to the clipboard: press Ctrl+C, or right-click and choose Copy. With rows selected, only those rows are copied; with no selection, the whole panel is copied. Values are placed on the clipboard as tab-separated label / value pairs, one per line.