The beta version of LimeWire 2.1.0 is now available at http://www.limewire.com/index.jsp/download_beta. The primary goal of this release is to increase the number of search results for leaf nodes. Towards this end, leaves now maintain multiple ultrapeer connections. Leaves do not forward messages between ultrapeers, so there is no significant bandwidth overhead. Leaves are also able to recover more quickly from ultrapeer failure.

This release also fixes two important bugs that will keep the network healthy. First, the X-Try headers now exclude ultrapeer addresses. This will help non-leaf users connect more efficiently in the future. Secondly, the default number of connections is increased for non-Windows users. It was accidentally 2, not 4, on many platforms.

We think this is the best version of LimeWire to date. Any feedback is most welcome!