Connection issues on fresh install

[Garz]

I have used qbittorrent a fair bit in the past – but have just re-installed it after a new hard drive and fresh windows install ( windows 10 )
Now when I install the latest qbittorrent - and launch the app – install the latest defalt search plugins and try searching for some common title - I am not able to get any search results at all

I also have the flame symbol in the bottom of the window – along with the message

“no direct connections available. This may indicate network configuration problems”

There are however 280 DHT connections in the box next to it
And I definitely do have internet access at this machine - can search the web etc
I have given it 30 minutes to see if it would sort itself out – but no luck
I have uninstalled and re-installed qbitorrent 2 or 3 times with the same result

during the install process the installer said it was creating firewall rules
and I have checked there were a set of rules created in windows firewall settings
There are 2 apps listed in the allowed apps list
One just called “qbittorrent” and one called “qbittorrent – A Bittorrent client”
Both have a tick in the box for allowed through the firewall on both public and private networks - i assume this is normal
( I am connected via wireless network to my home router)
However I do not see any inbound or outbound rules that are easily identifiable as associated with qbitorrent visible in the advanced settings of the windows firewall ( I don’t know if this is normal or not)

I saw a post saying that sometimes when uninstalled qbittorrent leaves behind settings in the appdata folder of windows machines that interferes with a new install – so I checked and there are no such folders in appdata after uninstalling - but I am just clutching at straws here – and I could spend days trying random things like that and still get no where
So basically – qbittorent is non-function from the off - no matter how many times I uninstall / re-install – and it seems to be blaming connection issues – but gives no further clue as to what they are ……..

Is there a systematic step by step guide to solving these connection issues??

[Garz]

in case its relevant

my windows version info is

Edition Windows 10 Pro
Version 22H2
Installed on ‎24/‎11/‎2023
OS build 19045.4291

qbittorrent info
I installed qbittorrent_4.6.4_x64_setup.exe (using the first download option on the page for windows on Fosshub)

[Garz]

just tried installing on another machine

windows 11 laptop

exactly the same result

surely it cant be this hard to get qbittorent working ??

[Garz]

OK log shows it is successfully mapping ports via UPnP - but then losing them again 3 seconds later

any ideas why / how to fix this ??


22/04/2024 16:55 - UPnP/NAT-PMP port mapping failed. Message: "could not map port using UPnP: no router found"
22/04/2024 16:55 - UPnP/NAT-PMP port mapping failed. Message: "could not map port using UPnP: no router found"
22/04/2024 16:52 - UPnP/NAT-PMP port mapping succeeded. Message: "successfully mapped port using UPnP. external port: UDP/28208"
22/04/2024 16:52 - UPnP/NAT-PMP port mapping succeeded. Message: "successfully mapped port using UPnP. external port: TCP/28208"
22/04/2024 16:52 - UPnP/NAT-PMP port mapping failed. Message: "could not map port using UPnP: unknown UPnP error (-1)"

[Garz]

OK i am fumbling around in the dark here - and its chewing up hours of my time for little or no progress

i have read in one of the other forums that you can test if qbit is working or not by trying a known good torrent file - such as an ubuntu iso image from the web

i added this as a download and it started downloading just fine after a few seconds - so i think its some kind of port forwarding issue or issue with my ISP blocking torrents

how do i pin it own and fix it please???

[LilTroy]

OK log shows it is successfully mapping ports via UPnP - but then losing them again 3 seconds later

any ideas why / how to fix this ??


22/04/2024 16:55 - UPnP/NAT-PMP port mapping failed. Message: "could not map port using UPnP: no router found"
22/04/2024 16:55 - UPnP/NAT-PMP port mapping failed. Message: "could not map port using UPnP: no router found"
22/04/2024 16:52 - UPnP/NAT-PMP port mapping succeeded. Message: "successfully mapped port using UPnP. external port: UDP/28208"
22/04/2024 16:52 - UPnP/NAT-PMP port mapping succeeded. Message: "successfully mapped port using UPnP. external port: TCP/28208"
22/04/2024 16:52 - UPnP/NAT-PMP port mapping failed. Message: "could not map port using UPnP: unknown UPnP error (-1)"

Have you ever successfully used UPnP before? It could be a buggy implementation in your router or it could be on your end. You can log into your router and check its UPnP table which should show any mappings that qBittorrent created. Just make sure that the client remains open when you do this. If the issue is on your end then run the command services.msc and check that ‘UPnP Device Host’ & ‘SSDP Discovery’ are both enabled and running with their Startup Type set to Automatic (right-click → Properties). After you configure them restart the services (right-click on each → Restart).

If this doesn't solve your issue then I'd strongly consider disabling UPnP altogether (on your machine and in your gateway/router). UPnP has a terrible security track record and, depending on your particular setup, you may not even need port mapping protocols or have to open a port manually. The qBittorrent client uses UDP hole punching which doesn't require any port(s) to be explicitly opened. It reuses an already existing port that's been implicitly mapped to accept inbound peer connections. It'll do this automatically for downloads, if necessary, and to facilitate seeding even if you're behind middleboxes like most types of NAT, firewalls, and/or other intermediaries like VPNs.

[bob2306]

It seems very unlikely that failed searches have anything to do with port forwarding.

[LilTroy]

It seems very unlikely that failed searches have anything to do with port forwarding.

I agree. It doesn't. Apparently I missed the first part where he wrote "I am not able to get any search results at all." He's still having issues with UPnP though according to the logger output he posted.

[Garz]

Thanks for the input

i very much appreciate the steps to try

so:
SSDP discovery was set to manual and running
UPnP device host was not runing andhad no status

i set them both to automatic restarted them - then exited and restarted Qbittorrent

same behaviour as before -
no search results, globe symbol is blue, can download direct torrent links

execution log shows the successfully mapped UPnP message
"successfully mapped port using UPnP.....

but again after a couple more minutes the same UPnP error
27/04/2024 17:13 - UPnP/NAT-PMP port mapping failed. Message: "could not map port using UPnP: no router found"

next i logged into my router admin area - it looks v basic - there are no options i can see to disable UPnP

there are 3 lines in the routing table - but none seem to mention the port that Qbittorrent is trying to use to listen on ......i assume it would show a line listing the Port that Qbittorrent is set to use if UPnP had mapped them ?

so i turned off the Use UPnP /NAT-PMP port mapping option in Qbittorrent and restarted Qbittorrent

the result is no UPnP errors any more - but also still no search results
i can still download direct torrent links

i would be very grateful if you could give further steps to try

[Garz]

It seems very unlikely that failed searches have anything to do with port forwarding.

could you possibly point me in the direction of what would cause this behaviour and how to fix it ?

[Garz]

thanks for the help

i think i have fixed it

i found this bug report on GitHub talking about the lack of search results being linked to some glitch with the search plugins
https://github.com/qbittorrent/qBittorrent/issues/20104

i tried deleting the entire folder re-installing them but got strange behaviour

so i uninstalled qbittorrent completely - reinstalled it - left everything as default settings - installed the default search plugins - (which did not work by the way) - then installed several unofficial plugins and only then instantly got search results

its still complaining of
27/04/2024 23:15 - UPnP/NAT-PMP port mapping failed. Message: "could not map port using UPnP: no router found"
27/04/2024 23:15 - UPnP/NAT-PMP port mapping failed. Message: "could not map port using UPnP: no router found"

but functionality seems unaffected

one odd think - all search results are from a single search plugin - bitsearch although there are several installed

[LilTroy]

thanks for the help

i think i have fixed it

i found this bug report on GitHub talking about the lack of search results being linked to some glitch with the search plugins
https://github.com/qbittorrent/qBittorrent/issues/20104

i tried deleting the entire folder re-installing them but got strange behaviour

so i uninstalled qbittorrent completely - reinstalled it - left everything as default settings - installed the default search plugins - (which did not work by the way) - then installed several unofficial plugins and only then instantly got search results

its still complaining of
27/04/2024 23:15 - UPnP/NAT-PMP port mapping failed. Message: "could not map port using UPnP: no router found"
27/04/2024 23:15 - UPnP/NAT-PMP port mapping failed. Message: "could not map port using UPnP: no router found"

but functionality seems unaffected

one odd think - all search results are from a single search plugin - bitsearch although there are several installed

Good to hear that you have the built-in search working. I rarely ever use its functionality. As for your persistent UPnP issue, yes, you should be seeing detailed entries in the UPnP table on your router which would include the mapped ports. Make sure you have Network Discovery enabled. It sounds like it's disabled based on the log output in qBittorrent saying that your router wasn't found.

Control Panel → Network and Sharing Center

Select “Change advanced sharing settings”

Under your current network profile toggle “Turn on network discovery,” if it already isn't enabled, and check the box underneath labeled “Turn on automatic setup of network connected devices.”

At the bottom select “Save changes”


You have no ability to turn off UPnP? Ouch. That'd be a deal-breaker for me in any router. The service has a 20+ year history of insecurity. It's had a laundry list of high severity, even critical, vulnerabilities in a myriad of popular implementations. I'm not even sure a truly secure UPnP library actually exists. About 10 years ago the Metasploit framework's creator, HD Moore, discovered that over 50 million UPnP devices were exposed to the internet. Not just on the LAN side but they were actually open to being attacked on the WAN/internet side. Steve Gibson of GRC subsequently developed a UPnP scan around it to test whether your equipment is exposed. Then, just a few years ago, the CallStranger exploit struck among others. If you do happen to be exposed, and can't disable the feature in your router, then firewall off the associated ports: UDP 1900, TCP 5000 & TCP/UDP 2869—on both the ingress & egress points. Alternatively, you might consider replacing your router altogether. I'd be inclined to do the latter.

*Note* There are some ways to secure UPnP inside the LAN, like setting basic access controls (ieg., Default Deny) to explicitly restrict its operation to a particular machine on your network along with specifying an allowed port range, or using optional authentication if supported (Device Security/Device Protection services), but you may still be vulnerable on the external interface. I also have my local network segmented so that all of my IoT devices are on the same VLAN. They're isolated from my main network just in case they ever are compromised through UPnP or another attack vector.

[Garz]

thanks for that

i checked the network sharing settings - and it was already set to "turn on network discovery" and automatic setup