SABnzbd Forums

Noobish question clearly, but is there situations where I would/should not use max # of connections that a server offers in configuration? I've seen a couple of sites that actually suggests using 9-12 connections for usenet servers that gives 30-50 connections for optimal downloading speed - is that true? And if so, why?

I'm trying to understand why going with lower # of connections might be a better thing so I can set optimal # of connections in confidence.

The best setting is different for each Usenet provider.
Extra connection also mean more overhead.
Anything above 20 is rarely needed.

I use the smallest amount of connections that give (about) the maximum speed. So I start with 3 connections, check the speed, and then higher with 3 until as long as that increases the speed.
On my 25 Mbps VDSL-line, 3 connections to eweka and 3 connections to newszilla6 are enough.

AFAIK each connection is a separate thread and/or takes extra memory and CPU. So more connections means more resources used.

sander wrote:I use the smallest amount of connections that give (about) the maximum speed. So I start with 3 connections, check the speed, and then higher with 3 until as long as that increases the speed.
On my 25 Mbps VDSL-line, 3 connections to eweka and 3 connections to newszilla6 are enough.

AFAIK each connection is a separate thread and/or takes extra memory and CPU. So more connections means more resources used.

Interesting, that's pretty counter-intuitive for me!

My sabnzbd is running on Synology DS111, which is 1.6Ghz CPU and 256MB DDR3 RAM.

Took speed test, my download speed is 20Mbps (7Mbps upload).

Sabnzbd is reporting my average speed to be between 1.5 MB/s. This is with my new setting of 6 for giganews, 6 for blocknews (backup).

Does that sound about right, or should I be expecting higher speeds given my repeatable 20Mbps average download speed when taking speed tests? Just want to make sure I'm tweaking things properly.

Speedtest is all nice but also easily manipulated by all kind of isp tricks, such a those "speed boost" features that allow for a higher speed for a very short period of time. That makes uneducated customers happy, but doesn't help when getting stuff from usenet.

The optimal number of connections to use is not set in stone, but the general idea is simple: more is not better. Use a bit of trial and error to determine the minimal number of connections that give you the speed your internet connection and the system running sab can handle, and leave it at or slightly above that number. The 50+ connections some usenet providers allow are nothing but a gimmick unless you have a gbit line to yourself.