Network Implications
Most IP networks are designed for users to download more than they upload, usually with an expected (Download:Upload) ratio of 3:1 or more.
Segmented downloading, when used by only 20% of an ISP's user base, can upset the ISP's network to a point of requiring substantial reprogramming of routers and a rethink of network design.
- Traditional web object caching technology (like the Squid proxy) is of no use here.
- Universal adoption of IPv6 cannot help either, as it only allows all users to have fixed IP addresses. Fixed IP address don't fully address the routing table problems associated with segmented downloading.
- Typical downloading configurations can have a single user in touch with up to 10 to 30 ephemeral users per file scattered across the global internet.
- IP router tables can become bloated with routes to these ephemeral users slowing down table lookups.
Read more about this topic: Segmented Downloading
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