LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: Alan Kennington <akenning@dog.topology.org>
  To  : LinuxSA <linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au>
  Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2000 01:23:57 +101800

Internet bandwidth hog software

LinuxSA persons:

What software is there out there at present which
could really be called serious bandwidth hogs?

I am thinking of two kinds of such software:

1. The client hog.
This kind of software would do things like
downloading 50 MB of web pages overnight
so that the user can read a couple of pages of
it in the morning. 
I've heard of such software collating a databse
of web pages on a topic or profile of the
user's choosing.
Of course all search engines are bandwidth hogs,
but there aren't that many of them, compared
to the total number of users.

2. The server hog.
I guess this would be more common.
Like a server which inisists on giving
huge amount of bandwidth to each user,
like in broadcast, webcams, etc.
In fact, I guess I really understand that sort of
thing in principle.

So my question is:
What software is there for category 1?
More specifically, what software
is there for linux which:
a.	downloads a whole site.
b.	roams continuously for hours around
	multiple sites looking for material
	relevant to a given profile?

I'd be interested in windows client hogs too.

My motiviation for asking about this is
that I am doing some calculations relevant to
determining the future of statistical
multiplexing by Internet service providers.

Cheers,
Alan Kennington.

PS.  So far, in my little business trip
around the world with a linux laptop,
I'm finding that most things do seem to
work okay in a world where everyone else
is using NT.
Star Office does a tolerable job of
understanding other people's MS-format
files. Co-existing on LANs is okay,
and connecting to global ISPs (GRIC)
is okay.
It would be great if I could connect up a
camera to my laptop to send back
touristy photos though.
And I can't find non-USB cameras much here
in Europe.
It's a titanic struggle to find parallel-port
cameras in Adelaide even.