AMule makes everything slow

aMule makes everything slow

So when you are running aMule, suddenly every other application using the net runs slow. Then you should read this document carefully.

How to fix this problem

Well, the reason is that you have badly configured aMule. Check the following:

• "Preferences"->"Connection"->"Bandwidth Limits"->"Upload": If this value is very high, so high that it takes more than 75% of your upload bandwidth, you will get very bad downloading speeds, since most packets on the internet are TCP packets, which require both up and down packets. In other words, to download something, you need to upload some information.
• "Preferences"->"Connection"->"Max Sources per File"->"Hard Limit": This specifies the maximum amount of sources you allow for each file being downloaded. Each source periodically requires a connection, so more sources require more connections and so, a bit of bandwidth. Have in mind that if you are downloading F files at the same time (where F is a number) and you set Hard Limit's value to X (where X is a number), you may allow up to X*F sources overall.
• "Preferences"->"Connection"->"Connection Limits"->"Max Connections": This specifies the maximum amount of connections you allow aMule to have open at the same time. Once again, each connection takes a bit of your bandwidth so, adjust it to whatever suits you.

• "Preferences"->"Core tweaks"->"Verbose log": On old wx versions (prior to 2.5.4), verbose log filling the servers log causes high CPU usage. Disable it.

What are the values that suit my needs

This will depend on your connection type (ISDN, Modem, DSL, Cable, T1, etc...), your ISP, the bandwidth your other apps need and the amount of files you are downloading (also, in the CPU if it is slow).

As you see, it is very personal and it's impossible to tell what suits your needs and what not. The only way to get it right is to go testing. The procedure is:

• Set it to some value.
  • If it's ok: then tweak those values a little to see if you can get some more connections (improving the speed) without loosing effectiveness on the other apps.
  • If the other apps suffer from lack of bandwidth: lower the values so that aMule takes less bandwidth.
• Repeat the above steps until you find the values which suit better your needs.