mirror sites

[mandimoo]

if i download something, sometimes it will say 'mirrors at'.... what is a mirror? are they a good or a bad thing?

[bibblebub]

they are just alternate sites to get the download

[bibblebub]

^^^alternative

[Buenchico]

Mirror sites are simply duplicates of the principal ones. They exist to share the load more evenly across connections.

For example, you might want to download something from a US site but, when you go to that site, you're offered the choice of downloading from a mirror site in, say, France. Both sites have exactly the same file available but the closer site might provide a faster download.

In other cases your request for a file might be automatically redirected to a mirror site, either because the main server recognises your location and connects you to a closer server or simply because the main server is already very busy.

Chris