Note: To avoid breeaking forum rules, I have removed the name of the file

Well I decided to download (game name here) which came out today, but the fastest source I could find was fairly slow (4 kbps tops). I had my up rate set to 2 users @ 1kbps . I heard by upping those you could increase the download speed, so I upped it to 100 users @ infinite kbps and voila, my down rate for (game name here) jumped to 10 - 30 kbps. Anyone know why this happens?

Maybe to make it fair?  If this wasn't the case, I assume that you'd get everyone on the network being stingy.  Now go figure, if nobody on the network is giving enough upload bandwidth, then where will people download the files from?  There has to be an equal amount of upload/download allocated, so I guess you just have to give as much as you take.

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Originally posted by fluffy_lobster
Maybe to make it fair?  If this wasn't the case, I assume that you'd get everyone on the network being stingy.  Now go figure, if nobody on the network is giving enough upload bandwidth, then where will people download the files from?  There has to be an equal amount of upload/download allocated, so I guess you just have to give as much as you take.

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I think that the network was built in such a way that it isn't possible to download faster without allowing a higher upload. It's something server-sided, rather than client-sided as with most P2P programs.
Although, I'm not very familiar with the way BitTorrent works, so I'm not sure about anything I'm stating.
I do know that one of my friends has a sort of modified client which allows for higher downloads without high uploads.. if you want I'll inquire with him about it. =P

Like fluffy_lobster said, that's to make it fair.... you can only take what you give... the more you give, the more you can take, that's the way it works in most P2P programs...

I suppose the main torrent server would control this... so if you weren't serving the full bandwidth that was reported as your cap, then you wouldn't be assigned an equivalent download.  thus, no 3rd party program can fake a bandwidth maximum

BitTorrent doesn't work with a "main torrent server". That's the strength of it.

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http://dessent.net/btfaq/
BitTorrent is a protocol designed for transferring files. It is peer-to-peer in nature, as users connect to each other directly to send and receive portions of the file. However, there is a central server (called a tracker) which coordinates the action of all such peers. The tracker only manages connections, it does not have any knowledge of the contents of the files being distributed, and therefore a large number of users can be supported with relatively limited tracker bandwidth. The key philosophy of BitTorrent is that users should upload (transmit outbound) at the same time they are downloading (receiving inbound.) In this manner, network bandwidth is utilized as efficiently as possible. BitTorrent is designed to work better as the number of people interested in a certain file increases, in contrast to other file transfer protocols.

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As I promised you, blade, I asked :

About BitTorrent:
http://bitconjurer.org/BitTorrent/introduction.html

A very good client (works on 95% of the downloads, since it's a leech client):
http://users.skynet.be/horla/BitTorrentJerkv3.2.1b.zip

Good websites to get torrents from:
http://www.suprnova.org/
http://www.torrentreactor.net/

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Originally posted by lhunath
As I promised you, blade, I asked :

About BitTorrent:
http://bitconjurer.org/BitTorrent/introduction.html

A very good client (works on 95% of the downloads, since it's a leech client):
http://users.skynet.be/horla/BitTorrentJerkv3.2.1b.zip

Good websites to get torrents from:
http://www.suprnova.org/
http://www.torrentreactor.net/

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