eD2K servers
Checking
server.met
Use this when you want eMule to populate or refresh its traditional eD2K server list.
- Servers
- —
- File size
- —
- Generated
- —
- Generated from
- —
- Network check
- —
eD2K and Kad connection lists
eMule server.met and nodes.dat
Download the two small connection-list files eMule uses to find an eD2K server or bootstrap the decentralized Kad network.
Kad contacts
Checking
nodes.dat
Use this when Kad has no known contacts and cannot bootstrap from another running eMule client.
- Contacts
- —
- File size
- —
- Generated
- —
- Generated from
- —
- Network check
- —
eMule Security supplies initial seed addresses only. Gypes then contacts the eD2K and Kad networks directly, validates protocol replies, and generates the downloadable files. If discovery fails, the page labels the validated seed fallback instead of calling it network-generated.
Which file should you use?
server.met and nodes.dat solve different connection problems. The first contains eD2K server addresses. The second contains contact records used only to enter the serverless Kad network. Installing one does not update the other, and neither file contains shared files, search results, account data, or downloaded media.
Use the update address in eMule
The least disruptive method is to copy the appropriate HTTPS address above into the matching update control in eMule. “Add to eMule” uses the registered ed2k: protocol handler and may require browser confirmation. If the button does nothing, the browser may not know which installed application handles that protocol; copy the update address instead.
Manual replacement
Download the exact filename, close eMule, preserve a backup of the existing file, and place the replacement in that installation’s configuration directory. The location depends on whether eMule is installed per user, for all users, or as a portable copy. For aMule it is commonly inside the user’s .aMule directory. Do not replace unrelated .met or .dat files. Reopen the client and verify that the corresponding network begins discovering contacts or servers.
How the lists are generated and checked
Every six hours, the background service downloads a bounded seed list through ordinary HTTPS from a fixed host allowlist. It does not publish that download as a network result. For server.met, it opens limited concurrent TCP connections, performs an eD2K login handshake, requests the server list, and keeps only endpoints that return recognized eD2K server frames. For nodes.dat, it sends encrypted Kad 2.0 bootstrap requests to a random bounded sample and collects contacts from valid bootstrap responses. The result is written as Kad’s bootstrap-file format so eMule treats referrals as starting contacts rather than falsely pre-verifying every node.
Before publication, the service parses the complete generated binary file: supported header and version, declared counts, exact record boundaries, public IPv4 addresses, ports, contact versions, tag types and lengths, and the end of the file. It caps eD2K probes and Kad datagrams, never sends search or download requests, and does not share content. A generated replacement is written atomically. If live discovery cannot produce a valid minimum set, the service preserves the last network-generated copy or clearly reports a seed fallback.
Network and safety limits
Network generation confirms a protocol response during that refresh; it cannot guarantee that every address will remain online later. This service does not search eD2K/Kad, download shared content, inspect your eMule installation, open inbound ports, or report whether your client has High ID. Apply normal firewall and client-security practices, keep the application current, and download or share only material you are authorized to use.