1. What is etree.org?

Etree.org is a community of FTP servers and music lover's that host and distribute lossless digital audio files across the Internet, and by mail for free. No money ever changes hand's here at etree. We have four mailinglist's in place. one for people who are running public FTP server's to post their FTP server information to the public, one for users to set trades with each other via regular mail or by arranging FTP trades, one that user's can post "please help me with...." questions to, and still another mailinglist for users to discuss all things related to the topic of lossless (.shn) trading and etree.

Etree ONLY distributes and allows the trading of concert recordings of bands that allow trading of their concerts.

We also have these four "community services". They are as follows:

Etree Forums — A web-based bulletin board system which is meant to be used for general discussion, setting up trades, and getting technical help (e.g. computer, taping, etc). Plus, its got avatars!

The Etree IRC Network — This is a place where you can chat with other etree users in a real time, and (mostly) "open-forum" irc (internet relay chat) channel.

The Etree Database — Here you can put your own live music collection list on-line for free.

The Etree News — These pages are a place where you can check out the world as seen by our etree community and keep up on events in the world (mostly related to music and band permitted lossless live music trading, but some times more main stream news as well).

2. Why does etree.org use mailinglists and FTPs?

The current system of mailinglists and ftps works. There are other options for transfering files (gnutella, irc, aim, PCP, ect...), but these distribution methods are not to be discussed on our etree.org mailing list's. We are aware that several other valid methods exist, but the mailing list method is what we use, and will continue to use.

3. What are the different mailing list's, and their function's?

4. Where do I get the FTP sites information?

Sign up for the announce@etree mailing list. Siteop's post the address, login name, password, port number, retry rate, and contents of their ftps regularly to this list.

*NOTE*: The username and password that you will recieve in your subscription confirmation message when you subscribe to this list (or any of the other @etree.org list's WILL NOT work on any of the FTP server's. That name/password only allows you to make changes to your @etree.org mailing list subscriptions (such as subscribing, unsubscribing, ect...). The name/password's you will need to get into the FTP servers will be in the messages you will be recieving in the announce@etree post's from the etree site operator's.

5. What is SHN?

SHN is short for Shorten. It is a lossless compression algorithm for digital music. It was developed by SoftSound (www.softsound.com). It compresses music files 1/2 to 1/3 of their original size, maintaining perfect sound quality.

6. Why not MP3/VQF/AAC/ETC?

These compressions all use a lossy algorithm. This means that over time, these lossy recordings can be re-extracted and re-encoded so that it sounds very inferior to the original source. Lossless algorithms such as Shorten (.shn) allow for pure digital reproductions.

7. What is MKW?

MKW is a lossless compression algorithm similar to shn. The mkw Audio Compression Tool (mkwACT) is a utility that interfaces with SHN, MKW, MP3, and MD5. See Michael K. Weise's homepage for more information.

8. What is MD5/MD5SUM?

MD5 is a checksum utility. It is commonly used to determine if all of the files have been correctly downloaded. Current FAQ has great Windows Info, unix, mac to follow

9. What is a firewall or proxy?

A firewall is a program that protects the resources of a private network from users from other networks. They are also often used by businesses to prevent employees from accessing certain ports or programs. Depending on the setup of the firewall, you may be prevented from accessing etree.org servers when behind a firewall.

A proxy or gateway is an intermediate program that connects an internal network to the outside internet. Proxys can also be used as caching or logging servers. Caching servers keep copies of images and webpages to speed downloads for local users. If you have an internal ip address, then you might need to setup a special port to connect through to access etree.org ftp sites.

10. What is an IP (IP address)?

An IP(Internet Protocol) Address allows you to be singled out from the other enumerous Internet users. Anytime you connect to the internet, you have an IP address. Often times they are shared however(see the section on proxys). Your current IP address is 38.103.63.59

11. Why does my IP keep changing? What is DHCP?

When your IP changes, it is said to be dynamic. Broadband internet access often uses dynamic addresses through DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). You can usually determine a pattern for your host. It is not uncommon for your IP to change once a day, or once every few days. For instance, today your IP address might be 24.32.2.62, tomorrow you may have the ip 24.32.2.19. If you are applying for FTP access where the siteop has requested that you include your IP, you would send 24.32.2.* A dynamic address should not complicate your etree.org participation. If you want to run a server and have a dynamic address, consider using a dynamic pointer from dyndns.org or eyep.net

12. How do you determine your speed?

There are a few ways you can determine your speed. Try to find out how your computer connects to the internet. If it uses a phoneline and you have to dial in to an ISP (Internet Service Provider) you have an Analog Modem. If you use a phoneline to connect but have a dedicated connection (no dialing) you eiether have ISDN or DSL(Digital Subscriber Line). DSL can come in a few formats; SDSL and ADSL are examples. DSL is a broadband, high speed technology. You may also access the internet from a Cable Modem. Cable provides access by connecting your computer to the cable providers coaxial cable. Cable usually has an IP of 24.*.*.* If you use an ethernet connection (most university dorms), you probably connect to a T1, T3, OC3 or faster. These connections are dedicated connections that carry a large ammount of data. Some universitiess also have Internet2/vBNS connections. These connect many educational and research facilities in a very high speed optical network. The i2 connections are usually setup in addition to a universities regular commodity bandwidth, but etree.org can take use of these connections as long as you are on an i2 supported network and recieving or sending to another i2 connected machine. A good place to test your connection speed is located at http://www.dslreports.com/stest.

13. What is the diference between Cable and DSL?

For more information on DSL visit http://dslreports.com and for more information on cable modems, visit http://cable-modem.net

14. Why does it take so long to download files?

SHN files are not small. Am average disc filled with music is about 600 megabytes in a standard .wav format. SHN reduces this in 1/3 to 1/2, and the resultant disc will be about 3-400 megabytes

15. Why can't I connect to any of the FTPs?

There could be many reasons you cannot connect. It could be that the server you are trying to connect to is full, not configured properly or down. It also could be because you are not configured properly. Make sure you typed in the login and password correctly, and if there was a different ftp port in use, you have that filled in as well. If all else fails, you should email the siteop of the server you are trying to connect to.

16. What is PASV mode?

PASV is a mode used by FTP client software to connect clients behind firewalls, proxys, and often general users to FTP servers. In a normal firewall environment, the firewall allows some outgoing TCP connections from clients to servers, and blocks most incoming connections. This is usually a method of securing a network. When a client connects to a server using the PASV mode, the server opens a port for data transfer to the client.

17. I can't host a ftp server, but what can I do to help etree.org?

There are a number of options for folks who can't run a ftp server. Offer up shows to newbies or modem users in the form of a B+P. Randomly hand out a few cds at your next show, you'll be surprised how many friends you make and the interesting people you meet. You can also copy shns to disc for your friends. Lastly, encourage your friends to host an FTP server if you are unable to.

This page last updated by Michael Crow on 6/6/2002.