When I'm seeding completed torrents, I often notice that aside from bytes leaving my PC, there are also bytes entering my PC. Examples of this can be seen in the image below. I am using Tixati as torrent client.
I understand that I'm uploading data when seeding, but what am I downloading if the torrent was already finished? Is it perhaps P2P protocol data? (I am unfamiliar with the underlying workings) However, sometimes the incoming transfer size approaches 1kB, which seems inplausible for simple overhead.
What data am I receiving? Is it persistent? Does this behavior differ in torrent clients?
Best Answer
Yes, it is.
A transient peak of a few KB/s for transferring the handshake, extension handshake, bitfield and metadata transfer is normal for all clients.