Running alt.binz on 2 computers causes slow downs

[LudiChris]

I am trying to run alt.binz on 2 different computers so I can download 2 things at once. I am using 6 connections on one and 6 on the other (I get 12) and one seems to download fairly quickly while the other drags and downloads incredibly slowly. Not sure if this is an ISP thing. I have FIOS. Or if there is a way to optimize it. I get 10megs a sec on my FIOS so it shouldn't be that but I am not sure. I am fairly new to all this.

[Hecks]

Well, if you test the full 12 threads on each PC separately, and PC 2 is still slow, then you have your answer: PC 2 is crappy.

I note in passing that, since you're sharing the same connection, there'll be no speed advantage to downloading 2 posts in parallel versus 2 posts one after the other.  Since you're halving the speed available to each download, they will each take twice as long to download, and will complete at the same time (if speed is shared equally).  Which means that your total download time will be the same, but you have to wait twice as long before anything is complete.

[LudiChris]

Both computers are good computers. In fact the one that slows down is a top of the line computer. And only that computer seems to slow down. The other seems to maintain full or close to full download speed.

So if the one computer maintains speed and I can get the other one get up to the speed it should be it would cut our download times in half.

[cr4zyfr4g]

your 10meg connection is shared that means you won't get more speed by using two computers! (example one is running at 6megs then the other can use 4megs max)

running alt.binz on one would be enough.

[Hecks]

Both computers are good computers. In fact the one that slows down is a top of the line computer.

Apparently not.  Alt.Binz will always pull the maximum bandwidth available on your line.  You can rest assured that Alt.Binz isn't the problem here, but something on that PC (or its network connection) is.

So if the one computer maintains speed and I can get the other one get up to the speed it should be it would cut our download times in half.

No, that's not how it works.  This is still valid if you're connecting to the same server over the same line:

To illustrate: say you have 2 files, each the same size, that would take 10 minutes each to dl at max speed (the limiting factor being your bandwidth).

With consecutive downloads in a single queue at 100% speed:

@ 0 mins
file A starts to dl

@ 10 mins
file A completes & unrars
file B starts to dl

@ 20 mins
file B completes & unrars

With parallel downloads and 50% speed/threads each:

@ 0 mins
file A starts to dl
file B starts to dl

@ 10 mins
file A is half complete
file B is half complete

@ 20 mins
file A completes & unrars
file B completes & unrars

Parallel downloads with file A at 80% speed, file B at 20% speed:

@ 0 mins
file A starts to dl
file B starts to dl

@ 12.5 mins
file A completes & unrars

@ 50 mins
file B completes & unrars

So you see, one queue on one PC does the best job.

[LudiChris]

Either I am not understanding or I am not getting my point across. If my computer is downloading at 1.3megs a second then the other computer, which is vastly superior to mine, is downloading at around 375-500kb a sec. If we are both going through the same router and we have 10 megs of download speed available then this shouldn't be happening. We both should be able to be in the same speed range. If I run at all 12 connections I see no download speed increase. If a file says it will download in an hour at 6 connections it will be roughly the same at 12 connections. There must be something I am missing.

[Hecks]

Yes, you're missing three facts (EDIT: 4 facts):

1. You can never exceed your maximum available bandwidth, no matter how many computers are connected to your line.

2. You don't always need the full number of threads to use up your full available bandwidth.  In most cases, with a good provider 3/4  threads will do it.  Which is a good thing.

3. "We both should be able to be in the same speed range" - no, if you double the number of computers using the line, you'll halve the bandwidth available to each (all other things being equal).  This is what you need to get your head around.

4. Mbps != MB/s. 10 Mbps = 1.2-1.3 MB/s.

What you're saying is: if 2 computers share my line, I'll douible my bandwidth.  Follow the logic: if 4 computers are connected, I'll quadruple it, if 100 computers are connected ... you see the problem?

As for why you're seeing slower speeds on your 'better' PC, I have no idea.  You should do as I advised in my first post: try just connecting that one computer and see if you get the same speeds.  Troubleshoot by switching off temporarily anything that could be interfering with your download: firewall, antivrus, etc.  It doesn't matter how highly powered your machine is, if it ain't configured properly the effect is the same: crappy PC.

If you do get maximum speed, then probably it's an issue with how the thread connections are being negotiated between your end and the usenet server.  Connect PC2 first, then PC1, and see if PC1 is now getting slow speeds.  Drop the number of threads allocated to each to test some more.  Try limiting the speeds on each instance of Alt.Binz (bottom left panel).  Although as I pointed out above, there will be *no* overall speed advantage to this.

OK, that's just about all I have to say about this.

[davidq666]

it seems some part in the system is maxing out and as a quick look to your isp suggests it' your line:

http://www22.verizon.com/content/consumerfios/packages+and+prices/packages+and+prices.htm

even with the fastes connection available (50Mbps) your theoretical max would be 6,25 MB/s not 10 MB/s.

Second component that could be the bottleneck is the usenet-provider
1,3 + 0,5= 1,8 MB/s which equals 14,4 Mbps so this could be due to a possible 15(16) Mbps Speedlimit on the side of the usenet-provider

Edit: by the way, by double-clicking the current speed you can change it from Mbps to MB/s to Kbps to KB/s and back

[LudiChris]

I understand about bandwidth and pretty much everything else that has been discussed pertaining to my problem. But I do not feel that what has been said neither is addressing my problem nor has there been any potential solution. So I am going to give it one more try.

Computer A starts downloading something with 6 connections it gets a good download speed. Approx 1.25 megs a sec. Computer B is not downloading. Now Computer B starts downloading something using 6 connections and it goes to about 1.25 megs a sec while Computer A slows down to 300-500 k a sec.

We reverse it. Computer B starts a download and it gets approx 1.25 megs a sec while computer A is not downloading. Now Computer A starts a download and only gets around 300-500k a sec while Computer B pretty much maintains it's speed.

Computer A is a top line computer with a dual core chip, 2 gigs of ram and a 1 gig video card. Computer B is a 3 year old computer with A P4 3.0 gig CPU a little over a gig of ram and a 256 meg video card. Computer B is a solid system but Computer A blows it away.

We are on a 10 meg FIOS line. I know it isn't alt.binz. Why the slow down on computer A when computer B starts downloading. Even if we were both downloading at the same speed as computer B we still would be nowhere near the 10 megs we get on our FIOS line. We have run speed test and actually get over 10 megs. Are we missing an optimization or need to adjust a setting on Computer A or B. We are not behind a firewall. That is pretty much the best I can do to describe my situation. I appreciate the above answers but do not believe they are addressing the problem.

[RiPPeR]

10 Mbps = 1.25 MB/s
so me don't see any prob here, as you maxing your line all the time.

you just have to write exactly what's you line speed in Mbps or MB/s and setup your alt.binz to use same (as davidq666 said in his edited line)

[LudiChris]

10 Mbps = 1.25 MB/s
so me don't see any prob here, as you maxing your line all the time.

you just have to write exactly what's you line speed in Mbps or MB/s and setup your alt.binz to use same (as davidq666 said in his edited line)

And where do you write the line speed? I double click on current speed and nothing happens. Besides, even if it did all it is going to do is change it from "k" a sec to "mb" a sec. It isn't going to actually alter the speed. Just the way the speed is shown. I have explained my problem multiple ways and multiple times. I cannot make myself clearer. I am having an issue with one computer downloading slower then the other when I am trying to download on both at the same time.

[SleepyOne]

And where do you write the line speed? I double click on current speed and nothing happens. Besides, even if it did all it is going to do is change it from "k" a sec to "mb" a sec. It isn't going to actually alter the speed. Just the way the speed is shown. I have explained my problem multiple ways and multiple times. I cannot make myself clearer. I am having an issue with one computer downloading slower then the other when I am trying to download on both at the same time.

What part of this thread are you not getting?

Downloading on 2 computers will NOT increase your line speed above max.

Set up ONE computer to download... increase number of download threads until you achieve max linespeed, and thats it.

How hard can it be?

[LudiChris]

Where am I asking a way to increase my line speed above max? I was trying to determine why there was a slow down when 2 computers are downloading. With a download speed of 10 megs a sec this shouldn't be happening. There was an earlier post from someone that speculated that it was Verizon. It is now looking more and more like that is the case.

[majestic]

Apparently, my husband is not getting his point across clearly. We have Verizon FIOS with a 10 Mbps download connection speed. Testing the line shows that we are getting roughly 10.4 Mbps download speed. But, that is a line test. It is not what we are getting when actually downloading. We are getting less than 1/10th of that. We are maxing out our Alt.Binz download bandwidth at just under 1.25 Mbps - total (not per computer). We max out at 1.25 Mbps regardless of whether one or both computers are downloading, even though our max download capacity is significantly higher. We aren't sure if (a) it's a problem with Verizon FIOS, (b) is a problem with the newsgroups service we are signed with, or (c) is the result of a setting in Alt.Binz that we may have overlooked. Is this more clear?

I am starting to lean toward the suggestion above that it is with the ISP, as we have had other FIOS issues as of late.

[majestic]

And where do you write the line speed? I double click on current speed and nothing happens. Besides, even if it did all it is going to do is change it from "k" a sec to "mb" a sec. It isn't going to actually alter the speed. Just the way the speed is shown. I have explained my problem multiple ways and multiple times. I cannot make myself clearer. I am having an issue with one computer downloading slower then the other when I am trying to download on both at the same time.

What part of this thread are you not getting?

Downloading on 2 computers will NOT increase your line speed above max.

Set up ONE computer to download... increase number of download threads until you achieve max linespeed, and thats it.

How hard can it be?

The two computers combined, or separately, aren't reaching 1/10th of max. We max out at 1.25 Mbps on a 10+ Mbps connection - regardless of the number of computers actively downloading.