Why is SL so slow to load, and why are its data rates so low?

[Jennifer Boyle]

SL varies a lot for me in how slow it is to load initially when I logon. Tonight, it was unusually slow, so I looked at the data received rate in the statistics bar. It was less than 100 Kbps. I then checked my connection speed. It was over 70 Mbps, both up and down. I routinely download files at speeds much faster than any speeds I ever see in the statistics bar. My conclusion is that the SL servers are slow. Is there some other explanation? I never see data received in the stats bar over around 1500 kbps. Why don't I see. at least, a few Mbps? Maybe because I limited it to 1500 Kbps because Firestorm told me to? Also, why does Firestorm warn me to limit maximum bandwidth to 1500 Kbps when I have 70 Mbps available? Isn't more bandwidth always better?

Any help with understanding this will be appreciated.

[Callum Meriman]

20 minutes ago, Jennifer Boyle said:

 Also, why does Firestorm warn me to limit maximum bandwidth to 1500 Kbps when I have 70 Mbps available? Isn't more bandwidth always better?

Simplistically....

There are two main ways information travels over the interwebs. One is called TCP/IP and one is called UDP.  

TCP/IP is used for all the important stuff like mesh, graphics, and money. UDP is used for all the unimportant stuff like chat, people's movement and so on.

The bandwidth setting sets a throttle on the maximum amount of UDP you want at any time. Too much UDP and your TCP/IP dies. This is why it's a less-is-more setting.... delays or lost stuff like chat is no biggy, we just see it as lag, or lines appering out of order... but losing money, or seeing a grey texture never appear would make people grumpy.

23 minutes ago, Jennifer Boyle said:

Tonight, it was unusually slow, so I looked at the data received rate in the statistics bar. It was less than 100 Kbps. I then checked my connection speed. It was over 70 Mbps, both up and down. I routinely download files at speeds much faster than any speeds I ever see in the statistics bar.

When you download a huge file it's one item. There is minimal chat between you and the server. When you download from SL you are downloading hundreds of little files. Each texture is 1MB or so, and they all come effectively one by one.

Due to various technical reasons that are really outside LL's control, you can only download 10 or 16? (Not sure of the exact number) texture files at once.

And each time you want a new one there is a whole handshake thing that slows it all down.