Bandwidth Throttling
Cap upload speed with one limit for the whole computer, and optionally a different limit for a single backup set.
Why Throttle Bandwidth?
Backup uploads can consume significant network bandwidth, especially during the initial full backup or after large file changes. An upload limit keeps backups from interfering with your regular internet usage, video calls, or other network-dependent applications.
There are two limits: a global one for every backup on the computer, and an optional one for a single backup set. A limit applies whenever a backup runs; there are no time-of-day rules (see Limits Apply All the Time below).
Setting a Global Upload Limit
The global limit caps the upload speed of backups on this computer. It is Unlimited until you change it.
- •Open the Schedule tab.
- •Find the Bandwidth Throttling card, which reads "Limit upload speed to avoid saturating your network connection."
- •Next to Upload limit, choose Unlimited, 1 Mbps, 5 Mbps, 10 Mbps, 25 Mbps, 50 Mbps or 100 Mbps.
- •The choice is saved as soon as you pick it. A backup that is already running keeps the limit it started with; the new limit applies from the next backup that starts.
# Read the current global limit in Mbps (0 = unlimited) backupengine config get bandwidth_limit # Set it to 10 Mbps, or back to unlimited. config set stores the value under the key you type, # and the global limit is stored as bandwidth_limit_mbps. Use 0, 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 or 100, # the values the app's Upload limit list offers. backupengine config set bandwidth_limit_mbps 10 backupengine config set bandwidth_limit_mbps 0
- •The limit applies to uploads only, to every destination type: BackupEngine Cloud, your own S3-compatible or Azure Blob bucket, and local or network folders.
- •Each backup run has its own limit. If two backups run at the same time, each can use up to the limit; it is not shared between them.
- •The app reads its settings when it starts, so after changing the limit with config set, reopen the app to see it in the Upload limit list. Backups started by backup start or by the app's backup worker read the stored value each time they run.
⚠ Warning
backupengine backup start use both limits.Per-Set Bandwidth Override (v1.20.0)
v1.20.0 added a per-set limit on top of the global one. Useful when one backup set needs different traffic shaping from the rest, for example a daytime documents backup held to 1 Mbps to keep video calls responsive while a server backup runs at the global limit.
Precedence: a per-set limit above zero wins for that set, even when it is higher than the global limit; otherwise the global limit applies; otherwise the upload is unlimited. The per-set limit is in kilobits per second (kbps) and the global limit in Mbps, so 1000 kbps is about 1 Mbps. It is applied as a token bucket with one second of burst capacity, to uploads only: restore downloads are not throttled, because disaster recovery should be as fast as the network allows.
- •The app and the customer portal have no per-set bandwidth field. Set it from the command line (CLI tab).
- •The global limit in the Schedule tab still applies to every set that has no limit of its own.
# Throttle one set to about 1 Mbps (1000 kbps) backupengine sets bandwidth "Documents" 1000 # Cap a heavy server backup at about 5 Mbps backupengine sets bandwidth "Server Files" 5000 # Clear the per-set limit (the global limit applies again); "0" and "unlimited" do the same backupengine sets bandwidth "Documents" off # See each set's limit: the bandwidth_limit_kbps field (null = no per-set limit) backupengine sets list --json
ℹ Note
sets bandwidth command. It applies from the next run of the set, including scheduled runs by the Background Service.Limits Apply All the Time
BackupEngine does not change the upload limit by time of day or day of week: whatever limit is set applies whenever a backup runs. To keep a set's backups out of working hours, schedule them for the evening or give an Hourly schedule an end time (see Scheduling), and use the limit to cap how hard the backups that do run use the connection.
Monitoring Network Usage
While a backup runs, the active job card on the Backup tab shows its Transfer Rate next to the progress, elapsed time and estimated time left. Compare the Transfer Rate with your limit to check that the limit is doing its job.
ℹ Note
💡 Tip