Adventures in Linux TCP Tuning

http://www.thesimplecomputer.info/articles/adventures-in-linux-tcp-tuning.html

 

I disagree with networking tuning in general.
If you run a server, fine, maybe. At home, well, not really.
Mrk

 

You can order more speed from the phone company or upgrade your broadband modem. Its far less expensive and more simple that messing around with your operating system's Internet connection settings!

 

Linux TCP defaults are pretty sane AFAIK. And messing around with them might introduce problems (including security holes).

If your ISP's DNS servers are flaky, it might make sense to switch to Google DNS or such. Likewise, if your have a puny router, you could replace it with a resuscitated obsolete laptop, using a hardened Linux or BSD distribution. (IPCop, IPFire, Smoothwall, etc.)

Otherwise I wouldn't bother...

BTW, I'm a little skeptical of any article on system tweaking that starts off by explaining the difference between bits and bytes.

 

Linux TCP defaults are certainly sane and not necessary to change, but then so are most things out of the box. It would be interesting to look into the various TCP settings on different applications which override the system settings, but another day. I didn't expect anything from this and was actually surprised with the improvement.

@NormanF
How is it "less expensive" or even simpler to upgrade your internet connection plan than it is to change a conf file? A better connection package is great, but a totally different ball park.

@Gullible Jones
How does explaining the difference between bits and bytes induce skepticism, of all things?

 

Because anyone doing system tweaking should learn basic stuff like (and many other things) that first. If an article on tweaking assumes the tweaker is a complete novice... I think you get the idea. Messing around with stuff one doesn't understand is a recipe for disaster.

 

Very true, but real life users aren't methodological like students progressing through levels of a subject. Complete novice could have many definitions and my particular idea of a complete novice (specifically, to networking) may or may not even be reading my website, though I try to make things easy to understand. All of that is subjective, though.

What I gave was info that can be either absorbed or skipped so that basic thing, if previously unknown, could be learned right then & there.