This is just stupid.

[DeeBye]

This is a screenshot of my beta downloader.

I do have a very slow cable connection (128 kbps down, 64 kbps up), but I cannot understand why I am getting this whacky upload/download ratio.

[lemekim]

Its only 560 more hours to go. I am getting similar download speeds, although I think it's because of the nature of Bit Torrent system and the fact that it just got released. The speeds should improve in a few hours.

[swirly]

I am not entirely sure about how cable handles uploads and downloads, but I know the following is true for some dsl and so may be true for some cable. Somebody with more knowledge will have to clarify that though because I can never remember the details.

Anyway, you say that you have 64kbps up. So that is 64 kilobit per second. So dividing that by 8 to get it in kilo bytes per second gives us 8 KB/s which is what bit torrent says you are uploading at. Its been my experience though that maxing out ones upload severely cuts down on a person's download capability. (as I say, that is how it is with my dsl at least) So by using up all of your 8 KB/s for the upload, the program may not be able to squeeze any more download speed through the pipe.

I'm not sure how much control you have over your upload/download ratios though. All I can see is the "Select connection speed" box. You could see if there is any option that has a lower upload rate though. It would probably mean a lower max download rate, but if it means you are actually getting a higher download speed than you are now then it could be worth trying. So that is my suggestion. I don't actually have the beta to have any experience with the beta downloader, but this has been my experience with bit torrent and other download programs in general.

[Jarulf]

Yes, it will probably increase as time goes by and more people have it. My own download is currently fluctuating between as low as 15 and up to 35 (first beta, which I got after 2 days or so only, I was up at 130+ for download).

Also, try experimenting with the speed setting. It will basically not affect the download, but the slower you set it, the lower the upload will be and if you are hitting the limit on your connection, that will free up room for download. Personally I will not hit the limit I have as far as I can forsedd (that would be megabyte rates on my own end) so I have just set it up as fast as possible and is sharing (when I left home) at 80+kb/s. I think that for someone that does NOT hit the bandwith limit (or pay per ammount of data or so), the fastest possible option should be set since that helps improving download speeds over time.

[MongoJerry]

Two hours ago, the speed for me was at about 15 KB/s. Now, it's 1am PDT and it's at about 40 KB/s. I was able to get about 125 KB/s when I downloaded the last push. I'm sure that once enough people have downloaded the push, the speeds will improve significantly.

[Nystul]

In the last 5 minutes, my estimated download time has gone from 500 hours to 100 hours. That means I'm 80% done, right? :)

[Ruvanal]

In the last 5 minutes, my estimated download time has gone from 500 hours to 100 hours.  That means I'm 80% done, right? :)

No, it sounds like your average download speed has increased to about five times what it was 5 minutes ago. To see how much you have downloaded, look at the bar that is filling up across the top.

DeeBye, you are doing much better than I am. I have a phone line connection to work with at the moment. My upload speed maxes out and then will likely cause connection error in anywhere from 5 minutes to 40 minutes that will require a complete system reboot to clear. Try and estimate what my effective download speed is from having to do that (nothing if I cannot stay home and babysit it constantly). Oh well, will need to do like on the first and drag the box to friends to use his cable connection to get this one too.

[apandapion]

What I don't get is why the beta download client is kept away from non-beta testers. I'd love to download the client and share the beta to donate my bandwidth, even though I can't play it. See, that's what bittorent is for - so fanboys can donate their bandwidth to good causes.

[Bolty]

I guess I should duck before I mention that I downloaded the entire 2 gigs in less than 6 hours overnight.

I find that lowering your speed setting helps. It reduces the upload speed, freeing up more pipeline for download. Fiddle with your speed setting to find your sweet spot - for me, it was Cable/DSL - Slow, which gave me a good 140+ KB/s download rate and 10 KB/s upload.

-Bolty

[DeeBye]

Oh great.

I left it running overnight and managed to grab a whole 40 MBs. During Phase 1, I was averaging 200-300 MB overnight.

[DeeBye]

I guess I should duck before I mention that I downloaded the entire 2 gigs in less than 6 hours overnight.

I find that lowering your speed setting helps.  It reduces the upload speed, freeing up more pipeline for download.  Fiddle with your speed setting to find your sweet spot - for me, it was Cable/DSL - Slow, which gave me a good 140+ KB/s download rate and 10 KB/s upload.

-Bolty

I'm going to walk to your house and copy the new client to 3 CDs. I'll get it much faster that way.

[Jarulf]

Heh, I think I downloaded the first client in something arround 5 hours or even less, I really only looked at the start, then I left it on when I went away from home (similary for now, hope it is done when I get back from work). For me, changing speed seting had absolutely no effect on download speed, that changed was my upload only. Thus I kept it at the fastest.

[Griselda]

You have tried setting it to "modem" speed to see if that helps, right? I know others have suggested it, but for me going from cable-fast to cable-slow tripled my doewnload speed, although it just about killed my upload. Even if you're not on a modem, that might work the best for you if it stops the download.

-Griselda

[--Pete]

Hi,

About fifteen years or so ago we had tons of data (on magnetic tape, yet) that needed to go from Seattle to Los Alamos for processing. After considering many options, it was decided that a person driving it down and bringing the results back would be by far the fastest. As a result, someone coined the phrase: "Never underestimate the bandwidth of a microbus filled with tapes."

--Pete

[Walkiry]

That reminds me of the time I was talking with Jim Kent (the top brain behind the Santa Cruz Human Genome Project) and he told me they still exchanged data between some sites with FedEx and tapes. They figured that the weekly updates of data would take more than one week on the links they had between some of the teams.

I have to admit I got a good laugh out of that :)

[TheDragoon]

I feel your pain. I'm not exactly sure why I'm not downloading very quickly. I'm currently hooked into the University of Washington network which consists of 8+ (there were 8 about 7 years ago, at least) T3 lines. It's 8:45 in the morning so I would expect nearly NO bandwidth issues from the network and yet I'm not downloading at all (0KB/s).

For me, the big thing has been that it is always fluctuating. Sometimes I download at 0 KB/s, other times I download at ~15 KB/s. Once last night, I was downloading at 180 KB/s and uploading at 300+ KB/s simultaneously. So I'm obviously not maxing out my connection with the measely 3 KB/s download I'm currently getting.

Similarly, I can download and upload to other sites at nearly 1 megabyte per second right now, so it's obviously not a problem with the network being busy. Perhaps Bit Torrent just doesn't work with the UW very well? :(

[TaMeOlta]

.... the time left could indicate "Real Soon" , which everyone knows is much longer than 560 hours ;)

[DeeBye]

Perhaps Bit Torrent just doesn't work with the UW very well?  :(

Many universities and colleges intentionally limit the bandwidth usable by bittorrent. Some don't allow bittorrent connections at all.

(p.s. It seems to be getting quite a bit faster now. I managed to grab another 100 MB since posting here last. My upstream bandwidth is still maxed out, but at least my dowstream bandwidth is revving up.)

[Roane]

I went to bed about... 4AM EST with 200 hours left to go (about 60MB donwloaded and 120MB uploaded) and with the speed topping out at 15kb/s. I woke up around... erm... 11 or so with two hours left to go. By the time I left for work, 45 minutes later, it was done. It really accelerated toward the end there. I left the client running to help others out if I could, but the initial download estimate was disgustingly off. There is hope!

[JustAGuy]

The answer is simple: your upstream is saturated.

The solution: set your connection speed to "modem".


Why?


Your cable is EXTREMELY slow. I really hope you're not paying much for it. It's probably that Rogers Lite crap isn't it?

Anyway, the "modem" setting should allow you get to maximum download speed. My DSL is just about as crappy as your cable, and uploading at a max of 5k/s allows me to download at full speed (note: I AM uploading, and I understand the importance of uploading. Without uploading, bittorrent doesn't work!).

Look at the numbers: 128 kilobits per second is actually only 16 kilobytes per second, and 64 kbps is actualy 8k/s. What is happening is that your upstream is sending at 8 k/s (the MAX for your line) and you're unable to send out any acknolwedgement signals. So, you actually need an extra 1-2 k/s to be able to download any faster. You're barely getting 1 k/s down because you're upping all you can. This upstream saturation is common with regular bittorrent clients; if people let their client upload at maximum bandwidth, they get no download speed.

If you are to set your speed to "modem", the upload speed is capped at a more reasonable 5 or 6k/s, leaving you with the required 1-2k/s necessary to send acknowledgements of receipt in a timely manner. You will definitely get a faster download speed, but notice, only 16k/s (your line is only 128kbps, after all).

The problem with Bittorrent is that, not only do you download AND upload, you also have to maintain connections to the tracker and other clients that are asking for information. The TCP/IP overhead is pretty large, and that traffic alone can saturate one's upstream.

Happy downloading!