APPLIES TO:
- EFT (Version 5.x and later)
- All Windows-based EFT deployments
Overview
This article explains how EFT manages bandwidth throttling during file transfers and provides guidance on tuning Windows TCP/IP settings for optimal performance. While EFT offers built‑in controls to regulate transfer speeds, overall performance is also influenced by the underlying Windows TCP/IP stack.
How EFT Throttles Bandwidth
EFT provides administrators with the ability to control maximum transfer speeds between EFT and client systems. This ensures balanced network utilization and helps maintain predictable server performance.
How throttling works
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Max Transfer Speed Setting:
Administrators can define a maximum transfer speed to restrict how fast data moves between EFT and a client.
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TCP/IP Congestion Control:
EFT relies on standard TCP/IP congestion‑control mechanisms to regulate throughput. When network congestion occurs, packets may be discarded at the link layer. TCP/IP automatically adjusts transmission rates based on these signals, slowing or speeding up as network conditions change.
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Internal Buffer Management:
EFT uses an internal buffer to send data in controlled chunks. By adjusting the size of this buffer, EFT helps maintain transfer speeds in line with configured limits.
For detailed configuration steps, refer to "Setting Maximum Transfer Speeds" in the EFT help documentation.
Windows TCP/IP Performance Considerations
Optimizing EFT performance involves not only EFT settings but also Windows system configuration. TCP/IP performance tuning varies across Windows versions and is not specific to any one Globalscape product.
Key TCP/IP parameters that may influence EFT performance include:
- Receive Window Auto‑Tuning
- Congestion Control Algorithms
- NIC offloading features
- MTU settings
- Registry-based network optimizations (varies by OS)
Because available tuning options and best practices differ by version of Windows, administrators should review current Microsoft documentation or validated third‑party resources relevant to their specific OS.
A general web search for "Windows TCP/IP performance tuning" provides up‑to‑date guidance tailored to the specific version of Windows in use.
Summary
EFT regulates transfer speeds by using configurable maximum speed settings, TCP/IP’s built‑in congestion control mechanisms, and internal buffer management. Overall performance, however, is also affected by the Windows TCP/IP stack, which may be tuned differently depending on the OS version. Administrators should combine EFT’s throttling configuration with Windows‑level optimization to achieve the best possible performance.