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What are BITS?
BITS stands for Background Intelligent Transfer Service. It is a technology developed by Microsoft that allows for asynchronous, prioritized, and throttled transfer of files between computers over a network. BITS is primarily used for efficient and resilient data transfer in various applications, such as software updates, file synchronization, and content distribution.
How the Background Intelligent Transfer Service Works
BITS operates in the background of Windows operating systems, providing efficient and reliable transfer of files between devices. It uses idle network bandwidth and adapts its transfer rate based on the available network resources to ensure that user activities are not interrupted.
The primary components of BITS are the BITS service, jobs, and files. The BITS service runs in the background and manages the transfer of files. Jobs refer to the individual file transfer tasks that are created and controlled by applications or scripts. Files are the actual data being transferred.
When a BITS-enabled application initiates a file transfer, it creates a job and specifies the source and destination of the file. The application can also set various attributes for the job, such as the transfer priority, maximum transfer rate, and scheduling options.
BITS divides the file into smaller units called ranges and transfers these ranges in the form of packets. It uses HTTP or HTTPS protocols to communicate with remote servers and performs intelligent retries to handle network disruptions or server failures. BITS employs automatic error recovery mechanisms to ensure the integrity of the transferred data.
BITS also supports several advanced features, such as bandwidth throttling, resumable transfers, and background transfers. Bandwidth throttling allows administrators to limit the amount of network bandwidth BITS can utilize, allowing for a better overall network performance. Resumable transfers ensure that interrupted or canceled transfers can be resumed from the point of interruption. Background transfers prioritize user activities and adjust transfer rates accordingly, minimizing interference with foreground tasks.
To summarize, the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) is a technology that enables efficient and reliable file transfer between computers over a network. It operates in the background, utilizing idle network bandwidth and adapting to network conditions to provide a seamless transfer experience. BITS offers various features like bandwidth throttling, resumable transfers, and prioritization to ensure optimal performance and user satisfaction.
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