Every computer is different and also the Internet connection and the servers accessed by the user are different. Through the direct access of these parameters you may be able to get an extra 10-50% speed out of your system.

This screen allows you total control over each setting used by Speedlane. The preceeding page allows you to set these values by modem type. If you select one of the predefined modem settings, it will change all the parameters on this page. You can then use this to define them one-by-one to optimize your connection even further.

On the left side of your screen you see several settings that can be changed for further altering your Internet connection. Please be careful! Take note of existing values and be prepared to re-enter them should any problems arise. You can also press the Cancel button at any time to go back to your original values.

Internet communications, while transparent (unnoticed) by most people, are breaking data into chunks called packets. A complex process determines what size to make these packets, how to route the packets to their final destination while avoiding fragmentation, and how to reassemble them in the receiving computer. The devices that handle the important task of dealing with these packets while en route over the Internet are called routers.

While nearly universal protocols (a set of rule governing operations and procedures) exist that provide the basis for how such hardware operates, vagaries in the telecommunications pipeline as well as in the sending and receiving computers make the routers’ jobs very difficult.

Most Operating Systems attempt to smooth out the rough edges of the whole process by applying default internal settings that attempt to provide the best possible fit under all conditions (i.e., the condition of the Internet itself, the type of connection, the modem, the state of the CPU, etc.).

Windows, like all Operating Systems, uses several internal settings that can be manually adjusted. Here is a brief summary of what these settings mean:

RWinMult (Receive Window Multiplier) The amount of received data that can be buffered (temporarily stored) at one time. The sending computer can then only send that amount of data at one time. RWin is given in bytes and works in conjunction with the MTU. A formula is applied to determine the best fit. Optimum RWin = (MTU – 40 X multiplier) < 8192. If you have adjusted your MaxMTU to 572, try 8 or 10, which would give you RWin values of 4288 or 5360, respectively—both well under 8192. Avoid going lower than 4 or higher than 10, and use even increments (4, 6, 8, 10). Cable modem and ADSL connections work well with larger RWin's - check your modem documentation.

Blackhole (or Blackhole Detect) Window default is 0 (for disabled). Entering a 1 here enables the setting, which forces Windows to try to retransmit the packet the maximum number of times if a transmission segment goes unacknowledged. Speedlane recommends a 0 here to disable the setting, as many unacknowledged transmissions are actually not a problem, and forcing Windows to retransmit can cause degeneration in overall performance.

Discovery Enabling this setting allows the protocol section of the Internet (called TCP or Transmission Control Protocol) to discover the maximum MTU rates between routers. This helps to reduce packet fragmentation. Enabling Discovery (enter a 1) is recommended.

TTL (Time To Live) The number of hops or bounces a packet is allowed to make between routers before being killed. Win95 default is 32, which should be changed to 128. Win98 already uses 128 as a default, so it doesn’t need to be changed.

Keepalive This setting adjusts the frequency in minutes that Windows sends a keepalive packet to keep a session from timing out (stalling). Windows default is 60. Speedlane recommends 8 or 10.

Cachesize The size in MB set aside for your computer’s communications cache. Speedlane recommends 32 megabytes in 16-unit increments. Windows default is 0.

Connect default Typical number of concurrent connections. Windows default is not set. Try 15 for fast modems.

Connect min Minimum number of concurrent connections. Windows default is 1. SpeedWiz recommends 10 or more for fast modems; do not use a higher value than the one for ‘Connect default’.

Sockets default Typical number of sockets allowed at one time. Windows default is not set. Try 15 for fast modems.

Sockets min Sockets are created and used with a set of programming requests or function calls. The are the endpoints of a connection. Windows default is 2. Try 10 for fast modems; do not use a higher value than the one for ‘Sockets default’.

OK
Press this button to instruct Speedlane to set the internal parameters. It will return you to the main page where you are required to press the 'Optimize' button before any changes actually take place.

Cancel
Press this button if you want to cancel everything you did on this screen.

Help
Press this button to show this help screen. As we get more comments from users we will improve the information available on this screen, so come back here from time to time.