| |
So, what does the average siteowner need to know about bandwidth?
|
 |
|
Absolutely nothing!......... If you have
enough of it.
Bandwidth refers to the amount of data transfer per
second.
Its standard unit is kilo bits per second. In a somewhat
larger scale, it can be called Mega bits per second
( in the order of one million bits/sec. or ten to the
power of six ) Giga bits per second (in the order of
one thosand million bits per second, or ten to the power
of nine )
The slowest part or section of a route will limit previous
and post transmission speeds to that mamimum. In other
words, you can typically have a few thousand miles of
fibre optic cable, capable of high speed, and then be
limited by a slower section of copper wire. Likewise
for a high tech network and a dial up modem. These variables
are considered when working out the "throughput"
value.
Wire less( whether infra-red or radio transmission)
cannot compare to the bandwidth provided by fibre optic.
Similarly for copper conductors. This is primarily due
to their respective, physical properties.
Theoretically, nothing is faster than light though
particle accelerators come near, but that is another
matter, lol. Sticking with bandwidth though - most people
are currently stuck with copper somewhere along the
line.
For a hosting plan, bandwidth has importance to the
ambitious, as well as the successful. If a web page
is downloaded often (successful), then bandwidth exceeding
its number of kilobites multiplied by the number of
downloads at a given time must be considered. This is
without any other pages that may be on the site.
If a product or application (whether free, or not)
has to be facilitated for download, then bandwidth must
increase.
Where it is the case of globally popular downloads,
mirror sites are used to lessen the burden as well as
shortening the physical distance between server and
recipient. When such a distance is shortened, then it
should be cheaper for the recipient who may be on a
dial up modem. And in an ideal world, the likelihood
of "slow spots", should theoretically, decrease.
In the case of flat rate I.S.P. accounts, energy is
saved whether the time difference is noticed, or not,
and unnecessary use of an unnecessary network is eliminated.
What you really need is an idea of how busy the site
is, from a viewing perspective, and an idea of how much
data is likely to be downloaded. Advice can always be
sought from your host-to be. But the idea would be to
anticipate all data traffic, or get enough bandwidth,
or ensure that it can be upgraded. From a hosted site
perspective, you will have done all you can to provide
an uninterupted service, and any issues thereafter,
are not your concern and outside your control.
Mirror sites are done by simple arrangement and the
products or applications are stored on different servers
at different geographical locations. Visitors can be
directed to a site/location which they select to be
closer. Any monies that may be involved is a matter
of trust, to some degree, but payments can be made to
the same payment processor and some traceability is
maintained.
In conclusion, if you have enough disc space (which
should be apparent enough ), enough bandwidth, and a
reliable server with anywhere from 98% upwards of uptime,
then bandwidth and its hosting implications should be
covered.
About The Author
Seamus Dolly is at www.CountControl.com
|
