Here´s a trick to make web browsing on Ubuntu a faster and more satisfying experience.
Howto: Tweak and maximize your bandwidth in Ubuntu/Linux via sysctl!
Here I will unleash a few hidden settings that should improve your internet speed, and work with all current linux operating systems including Ubuntu:
1. Open a Terminal via Applications->Accessories->Terminal
Type:
sudo vim /etc/sysctl.conf (press i for edit mode)
Then Paste the Following at the end of the file:
## increase TCP max buffer size setable using setsockopt()
net.core.rmem_max = 16777216
net.core.wmem_max = 16777216
## increase Linux autotuning TCP buffer limits
## min, default, and max number of bytes to use
## set max to at least 4MB, or higher if you use very high BDP paths
net.ipv4.tcp_rmem = 4096 87380 16777216
net.ipv4.tcp_wmem = 4096 65536 16777216
## don’t cache ssthresh from previous connection
net.ipv4.tcp_no_metrics_save = 1
net.ipv4.tcp_moderate_rcvbuf = 1
## recommended to increase this for 1000 BT or higher
net.core.netdev_max_backlog = 2500
## for 10 GigE, use this, uncomment below
## net.core.netdev_max_backlog = 30000
## Turn off timestamps if you’re on a gigabit or very busy network
## Having it off is one less thing the IP stack needs to work on
## net.ipv4.tcp_timestamps = 0
## disable tcp selective acknowledgements.
net.ipv4.tcp_sack = 0
##enable window scaling
net.ipv4.tcp_window_scaling = 1
Type :wq to exit and save.
Type in terminal
sudo sysctl -p
to apply the settings.
Then , to tweak Firefox to make better use of your broadband do the following…
1.Type “about:config” into the address bar and hit return. Scroll down and look for the following entries:
network.http.pipelining
network.http.proxy.pipelining
network.http.pipelining.maxrequests
Normally the browser will make one request to a web page at a time. When you enable pipelining it will make several at once, which really speeds up page loading.
2. Alter the entries as follows:
Set “network.http.pipelining” to “true”
Set “network.http.proxy.pipelining” to “true”
Set “network.http.pipelining.maxrequests” to some number like 25. This means it will make 25 requests at once.
3. Lastly right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it “nglayout.initialpaint.delay” and set its value to “0″. This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it receives.
If you’re using a broadband connection you’ll load pages MUCH faster now!




{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
good post. lots of those commands can also be used in windows so this is also helpful for the windows crowd.
Thanks alot for posting this. I am a part-time geek chick and I am about to try installing Ubuntu on my Acer Aspire One. That Linpus hack that is on there now isn\’t bad, but it doesn\’t hold a candle to Ubuntu.
Take care,
Barb
Thanks for the tip. I thought browsers made 2 simultaneous requests normally. But pushing it up can help, especially since so many sites now have many graphics, javascript files, CSS files…