How BITS detects network bandwidth. 1

[MarcR]

We have some remote sites that are connected this way: from the main office we have a 4MB link to the cable company. From the cable company, the link is split to a few sites. Speeds range from 400k to 128k. When we advertise security and MS Office Updates, the pipe floods and the users complain. Does BITS sense the line speed only from the main office to the cable company or does it sense the whole path? Thanks.

 

[Jpoandl]

It sounds like your SMS administrator needs to pay closer attention to how he/she is pushing out the packages.

Are you sure that you are advertising the package so that BITS is being used? You may be advertising the package with execute over the wire instead of DOWNLOAD and EXECUTE.

"When we advertise security and MS Office Updates, the pipe floods and the users complain." The pipe is probably flooding because all clients are running the package directly through the Distribution Points SHARE- over the wire.

You need to make sure you pick Download and execute. Also, BITS only works on SMS ADVANCED CLIENTS. So, if you are not using the Advanced client, you are not using bits.



Joseph L. Poandl
MCSE 2003

If your company is in need of experts to examine technical problems/solutions, please check out

http://www.NJCOMPUTERNETWORKS.com

(Sales@njcomputernetworks.com)

 

[MarcR]

Thanks for the reply Joseph. More info: The workstations have the Advanced Client installed, the package is advertised using BITS and configured for download and execute. We looked at the network trace reports and noted the traffic was in fact HTTP. I found this link that may explain our issue:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/bits/bits/what_s_new.asp

(under about BITS/Network Bandwidth.

Marc

 

[Jpoandl]

Uh...yes, you are right. I had a misconception on how BITS works. I think I better understand it now that I have read this information.

So, that way I understand it (now), BITS is really meant to help the client machine utilize its bandwidth. For example, if your on a client machine that is using the network heavily (downloading and uploading stuff like crazy), BITS will help the user continue working. This is because BITS will "see" that network traffic on this client is heavy...therefore, it will allocate much less bandwidth to the downloading of the SMS package.

BITS does not help control OVER UTILIZING WAN links.

What I think you may need to do is add Distribution Points local to these users. You can configure the DP as a Protected DP so that only users local to the DP will download from it.


Here some more information that I found:

http://myitforum.techtarget.com/articles/8/view.asp?id=6558

Joseph L. Poandl
MCSE 2003

If your company is in need of experts to examine technical problems/solutions, please check out

http://www.NJCOMPUTERNETWORKS.com

(Sales@njcomputernetworks.com)