Limits of a Download Server for Large Downloads

Limits of a Download Server for Large Downloads

In this test up to 100 users download a 32 MB file from the web server every 30 seconds. The web server is connected to the network with a GigaBit network card.

In the graph we can see that the download times per user are almost constant until about 50 users are active at the same time.

Conclusion

A maximum of 50 users can be active simultaneously until the server's and the network's limits are hit.

Test Results
Maximum Pageviews ~6.400 downloads pageviews per hour
Maximum Server Bandwidth~480.000 kBit/s

Test Setup
Test TypeRAMP (number of users increases during the test time)
Number of Users100
Click Delay30 sec
Tested Web ServerDELL Dimension, 1.5 Ghz Intel P4, 400 MB RAM, Windows 2003 Small Business Server, IIS6 (out-of-the-box installation), GigaBit Network
Test ClientDELL Poweredge 750, 2.8 GHz Intel XEON (Hyperthreading), 2 GB RAM, Windows 2003 Server, (out-of-the-box installation) (running Webserver Stress Tool)