[NEWS] - Ultra-fast downloads : The Fast TCP system

[CougTek]

Soon you could be downloading an entire movie off the net far faster than you do now.

US researchers are working on ways to improve the way that net protocols decide how quickly data travels around the net.

[...]

When data is sent across the net, it is first broken up into packets before being despatched to its destination.

Before a new packet of data is sent, the sending computer waits to hear that the first one has arrived safely. If it has not, then the first packet is sent again, but at a lower speed.

While this helps ensure that data arrives, it means that small problems en route can cause huge slowdowns in transfer rates.

The Fast TCP system being developed by Steven Low and colleagues at the California Institute of Technology avoids these problems by constantly monitoring how long it takes data to travel across a particular link

This means that it always knows the fastest speed that a cable will tolerate and improves the rate at which data can be transmitted.

News source.

Sumbitted by Prof.Wizard

 

[blakerwry]

So this is like a dynamic auto speed negociation between two interfaces?

 

[Onomatopoeic]

I recall a push many years ago by a person with a "new" FTP, called XFTP, that was several percentage points faster than standard RFC FTP.

Despite its efficiencies, it went nowhere.

 

[Prof.Wizard]

I recall a push many years ago by a person with a "new" FTP, called XFTP, that was several percentage points faster than standard RFC FTP.

Despite its efficiencies, it went nowhere.

Why that? Did it have any secret embarassing drawbacks?!

Anyway, Fast TCP seems a good system to multiply x3 current speeds.

 

[Mercutio]

When I want to download things quickly, I use zmodem. It's considerably faster than FTP or anything else, for that matter.

 

[blakerwry]

that's disgusting

 

[Mercutio]

It is?

 

[blakerwry]

yes, being forced to use modem concatination and zmodem to download files is... it's bad.

Merc, if it's only your apartment keeping you from getting broadband, then why don't you move? You're already paying more $$ than most people pay for a broadband connection.. possibly you could even save money over the long run.

What's so special about your apartment that keeps you there?

 

[Mercutio]

blake, zmdoem works over any shell connection. It's faster whether I'm connected to something via serial line or GBoC.

Three things make my apartment REALLY nice: 1.) It's cheap. Really cheap. Under $400/month with paid utilities. 2.) I hate moving my belongings, and my current apartment is exactly the way I want it. 3.) Proximity to various places that are important to me.

 

[Prof.Wizard]

Moreover this apartment has enough sockets (and high-watt fuses) for all his "equipment"... :wink:

 

[Mercutio]

Er. No. There are lots and lots and lots of power strips, surge protectors and UPSes about. It is up to code, though, with 1 outlet every six feet along all walls.

 

[fool]

Leaving the fascinating subject of Mercutios apartment to one side. :wink:

this fast tcp thing, nice if it works, but apparently no substitute for moving to Sweden.

On the second link its the sixth letter that had me looking for evening classes in Swedish.

 

[Prof.Wizard]

this fast tcp thing, nice if it works, but apparently no substitute for moving to Sweden.

Yep. That's true. Swedes make us rest of EU nationals blush with those broadband solutions and long-term Internet investment thinking.

But Fast TCP is a packet protocol, not a connection method. They can coexist.

 

[CougTek]

Swedes make us rest of EU nationals blush with those broadband solutions...

Scratch "EU", replace with "world".

 

[fool]

You’re quite right proff.
But what I guess I failed to convey was that I’m primarily interested in is how much throughput I can realise for how much money, rather than how that throughput is realised.
So while fast tcp should make much better use of the available bandwidth, it still leaves you with what turns out to be a second rate solution.
I don’t want to sound like I’m rubbishing fast tcp, because it seems like a good idea to me, (don’t know nearly enough to KNOW if its a good idea or not).
Rather I’m irritated that after about two decades of phone market deregulation, countless bloody stupid ad campaigns, and a procession of government ministers pronouncing the absolute need for everyone in the UK to have proper broadband access, My connection is still left in the blocks by the Swedes.

 

[blakerwry]

blake, zmdoem works over any shell connection. It's faster whether I'm connected to something via serial line or GBoC.

Three things make my apartment REALLY nice: 1.) It's cheap. Really cheap. Under $400/month with paid utilities. 2.) I hate moving my belongings, and my current apartment is exactly the way I want it. 3.) Proximity to various places that are important to me.

ah, i hadent's heard of zmodem since DOS/win3.1 I remember seeing it in a few terminal applications for use with modems. I just assumed it was a modem compression thing only.

 

[Mercutio]

Nope. Next time you're connected to a *nix box by a terminal with proper support, type "sz filename" and see what I'm talking about.

 

[Prof.Wizard]

So while fast tcp should make much better use of the available bandwidth, it still leaves you with what turns out to be a second rate solution.

Indeed but remember that some of the best and most-used broadband ideas (DSL) where put in practice using the existing infrastructure. There was speculation in the beginning that everything had to physically change to have access to broadband and DSL proved the twin copper wire had a long long life. If this succeeded in physical level, why not in software/transmission/compression as well?
I'm hoping to see yet another (alas, the last!) step in analog dial-up modems (V.93?!) as well.

Now regarding the specific problem: broadband in the UK
Methinks the current situation is a combination of bad management and stubborn politics. For God's shake, Britain is one of the most advanced countries in the EU/world and I don't believe it doesn't have the infrastructure to achieve this.

Both my girlfriend and some of my mates (who live/study in London) are lamenting about the current situation, but what can they do? NTL?

 

[Buck]

You could be living in Greece.

 

[honold]

Nope. Next time you're connected to a *nix box by a terminal with proper support, type "sz filename" and see what I'm talking about.

post# man sz
man: no entry for sz in the manual.
post# uname -a
NetBSD post.fhdasjkfhj.com 1.6_STABLE NetBSD 1.6_STABLE (GENERIC) #0: Sat Dec 14 19:18:41 CST 2002 root@post.fhdasjkfhj.com:/usr/src/sys/arch/i386/compile/GENERIC i386

fangorn# man sz
No manual entry for sz
fangorn# uname -a
FreeBSD fangorn.internal.lan 4.8-RC FreeBSD 4.8-RC #0: Tue Apr 1 12:09:50 CST 2003 root@fangorn.internal.lan:/usr/obj/usr/src/sys/GENERIC i386

black# man sz
man: no entry for sz in the manual.
black# uname -a
OpenBSD black.fhdjkshfk.com 3.2 GENERIC#0 i386

linux, not *nix

 

[Prof.Wizard]

You could be living in Greece.

Shhhhh... fortunately I don't live there. :mrgrn:

Well, even if I lived there I would be OK. It will almost sound unreal but I was too much lucky: my father was the 1st person (yep, they told him that over the phone) that asked for the pilot ADSL service in my city (Thessaloniki) 3 years ago from the national TelCo/ISP and they gave him and a neat Alcatel ray-fish USB modem and a free 768/256 connection. My bro saw this as an opportunity and set up a wireless network linking my father's office with a couple of other homes.

The ISP probably has forgotten to shut down this account and we still have it.

 

[Mercutio]

linux, not *nix

It's on my OpenBSD and Solaris machines, not just linux.
You know as well as I do you could have it if you want it.

 

[honold]

It's on my OpenBSD and Solaris machines, not just linux.
You know as well as I do you could have it if you want it.

yeah, but it requires more than the 'terminal with proper support' that your post implied. it was just a warning to non-linux users, written from the perspective of a person that takes offense to *nix meaning linux