Yesterday, July 29, Windows 10 was released, not just for Windows Insiders as reported by Microsoft, but for everyone who wanted to download it.
So, all good. Microsoft released the new operating system for everyone, and no one was left complaining. But can the Internet handle millions of simultaneous 3.5GB downloads?
So far, Akamai reports that Internet traffic has been 35% higher than normal, and the answer appears to be yes.
Windows 10 downloads seem to have put quite a bit of pressure on the Internet, but they didn't break it.
Some had feared that the Internet, or at least Microsoft's servers, might not be able to handle the strain. It's happened before, with the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the release of Apple's iOS 8, and the first episode of Game of Thrones.
This is not the case with Windows 10. There is no publication today that reports any significant Internet traffic congestion.
Of course, if you have, say, a 4Mbps DSL connection, it will take you less than two hours to download even today.
Some thought that with Windows 10 downloads, traffic could break the Internet, reaching speeds of more than 40 terabits per second (TBPS).
Terry Myerson, Microsoft's executive vice president of the Windows Group, said: "Starting on July 29th, Windows 10 will begin rolling out to our Windows Insiders. From there, it will begin rolling out in waves."
The key word is “waves.” Microsoft’s plan, as we saw, was to not allow one-click downloads, but interested parties had to close the new operating system with a “pre-order.”
So to get in line, you would have to click on the “Get Windows 10” icon and then click on “Close your free upgrade now.”
So we saw differences between what Microsoft planned and what it did. While Microsoft wouldn't confirm it, Dan Rayburn, executive vice president of streaming media, said that:
“Microsoft has reserved up to 40Tb/s of capacity across its third-party CDNs [Content Delivery Networks].”
Sources at various CDNs said Microsoft had made “significant bandwidth investments” for July 29 and for a few days thereafter.
So users are not reporting any significant download delays anywhere. Internet traffic monitoring services, such as Internet Traffic Report and Internet Health Report, are not reporting any problems.
Of course, it was a tiring day for the Internet, which seemed to bend for a while but was in no danger of breaking.
ZDNet
