This tip is only valid on Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 or later, or computers with BITS 2.0 or later installed.
BITS is the service Windows uses for, amongst other things, downloading updates from the Windows Update or the a WSUS server in non-interactive mode; namely when Automatic Update downloads hotfixes or service packs automatically.
In some circumstances it may be advantageous to limit the bandwidth that BITS can use - for example, when the computer is at the end of a dial-up link. Although the simplest method of doing this is via the BITS group policy, there are occasions when you may wish to set the values manually.
The BITS configuration has a number of options:
The maximum on-schedule bandwidth utilisation
The start hour and end hour of the schedule to use
Whether to use the maximum available bandwidth or a user-specifed value for off-schedule times
If required (see above point), the bandwidth to use during off-schedule times
For instance, in the above example of a machine connected via dial-up link, you may wish to limit BITS to its minimum speed (approximately 2kbs) during working hours, but use all available bandwidth outside of that time.
To configure the BITS parameters
Use a registry editing tool to navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\BITS
If the BITS key does not exist, create it.
Insert or change a value with the following details:
Data Type
WORD
Value Name:EnableBITSMaxBandwidth
Value:1
Insert or change a value with the following details:
Data TypeWORD
Value Name:MaxTransferRateOnSchedule
Value:The maximum transfer speed in kbps between 0 and 4294967200.
If you specify 0, BITS will use its minimum transfer speed; around 2 kbps.
Insert or change a value with the following details:
Data TypeWORD
Value Name:MaxBandwidthValidFrom
Value:The hour of the day (in 24-hour format) at which you want the schedule to become active.
Insert or change a value with the following details:
Data TypeWORD
Value Name:MaxBandwidthValidTo
Value:The hour of the day (in 24-hour format) at which you want the schedule to become inactive.
If you wish to use the system maximum transfer rate outside of the defined schedule, insert or change a value with the following details:
Data TypeWORD
Value Name:UseSystemMaximum
Value:1
if you wish to set a maximum speed during the off-schedule hours, insert or change a value with the following details:
Data TypeWORD
Value Name:MaxTransferRateOffSchedule
Value:The maximum transfer speed in kbps between 0 and 4294967200.
If you specify 0, BITS will use its minimum transfer speed; around 2 kbps.
Restart the computer (or simply stop and restart the BITS service) for the changes to take effect.
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Registry Settings Summary
Key NameHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\BITS
Value NameEnableBITSMaxBandwidth
Value TypeREG_DWORD
Value Data0x00000001
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BITS is the service Windows uses for, amongst other things, downloading updates from the Windows Update or the a WSUS server in non-interactive mode; namely when Automatic Update downloads hotfixes or service packs automatically.
In some circumstances it may be advantageous to limit the bandwidth that BITS can use - for example, when the computer is at the end of a dial-up link. Although the simplest method of doing this is via the BITS group policy, there are occasions when you may wish to set the values manually.
The BITS configuration has a number of options:
The maximum on-schedule bandwidth utilisation
The start hour and end hour of the schedule to use
Whether to use the maximum available bandwidth or a user-specifed value for off-schedule times
If required (see above point), the bandwidth to use during off-schedule times
For instance, in the above example of a machine connected via dial-up link, you may wish to limit BITS to its minimum speed (approximately 2kbs) during working hours, but use all available bandwidth outside of that time.
To configure the BITS parameters
Use a registry editing tool to navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\BITS
If the BITS key does not exist, create it.
Insert or change a value with the following details:
Data Type
WORDValue Name:EnableBITSMaxBandwidth
Value:1
Insert or change a value with the following details:
Data Type
WORDValue Name:MaxTransferRateOnSchedule
Value:The maximum transfer speed in kbps between 0 and 4294967200.
If you specify 0, BITS will use its minimum transfer speed; around 2 kbps.
Insert or change a value with the following details:
Data Type
WORDValue Name:MaxBandwidthValidFrom
Value:The hour of the day (in 24-hour format) at which you want the schedule to become active.
Insert or change a value with the following details:
Data Type
WORDValue Name:MaxBandwidthValidTo
Value:The hour of the day (in 24-hour format) at which you want the schedule to become inactive.
If you wish to use the system maximum transfer rate outside of the defined schedule, insert or change a value with the following details:
Data Type
WORDValue Name:UseSystemMaximum
Value:1
if you wish to set a maximum speed during the off-schedule hours, insert or change a value with the following details:
Data Type
WORDValue Name:MaxTransferRateOffSchedule
Value:The maximum transfer speed in kbps between 0 and 4294967200.
If you specify 0, BITS will use its minimum transfer speed; around 2 kbps.
Restart the computer (or simply stop and restart the BITS service) for the changes to take effect.
Sponsored Links
Registry Settings Summary
Key NameHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\BITS
Value NameEnableBITSMaxBandwidth
Value TypeREG_DWORD
Value Data0x00000001
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