Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

homestead - Re: [Homestead] Computer Guru ?

homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Homestead mailing list

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Clansgian AT wmconnect.com
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Computer Guru ?
  • Date: Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:00:45 EDT



> >O.K., so, I'm figuring that the download speed is why I can now get the
> videos and the upload speed is how long it takes me to send something?
> Yes/no?

Yes, but that's a separate phenomenon than the connect speed vs transfer
speed.

The connect speed is a sort of "carrier wave" as it were, it is the rhythm at
which your computer is connected to your ISP's server. At this speed or
rhythm (let's say 56K for us backwoods types) the computer and server must
not
only transfer the data but also take care of all other sorts of tasks such as
reminding each other that they are connected, passing back and forth tokens,
keys, and such and asking each other for permission to send, permission to
receive
and confirming successful transfers of packets of info and resending them if
the confirmation is not forthcoming.

Thus the actual rate of transferring data, uploading or downloading, will
always be anywhere from somewhat less than the connect speed to a lot less
than
the connect speed.

But, as you have surmised, the upload speed will not necessarily be related
to the download speed. When you are downloading videos much of the
information
in encrypted and compressed and more importantly, you computer's i/o port
most likely isn't doing anything else and never sends the server a singal to
'wait' before it sends the next packet. The server to which you upload is
likely
quite busy and it will tell your computer ... send the next 100 packets....
OK
wait, I'm doing something else ... OK now send the next 250 packets ... now
wait again ... Then your computer will become impatient and querry the
server
to see if it's ready for the next transmission, there is a formal reply to
the querry that can take some bandwidth and then the server will assemble the
next group of packets ... then ask leave to send them ....etc. etc.

Sooo .... actual rate of data transfer will always be less than the connect
speed and not only will the upload and download actual rate of data transfer
not be the same, they may themsevles vary at any time.

James




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page