Ubuntu – Change Download Server and Fix Slow Updates

In India, the default download server selected is an Indian server ftp.iitm.ac.in which is very slow and causes very slow download speeds even if you’ve a 2 Mbps broadband connection. This was very obvious when I tried to upgrade to the Ubuntu 9.10 Release Candidate. I was getting download speeds in the range of 10 – 20 KBps with my 2Mbps broadband connection.

The best method is to find the fastest server using update manager itself. This will test all the download servers and will select the best one. In my case, a server from UK is selected. After that I was getting download speeds of 180 KBps to 220 KBps which is more than ten times faster.

Steps to fix the slow download speed

1. Open the update manager (System->Administration->Update Manager)
2. Click Settings…
3. Check the first tab (Ubuntu Software)

   

4. Open the Download From dropdrown and choose Other…

   

5. Click on the Select Best Server button

It will do a series of test and will select the best server automatically. After that you’ll get maximum download speeds when updating or installing additional packages. This is applicable to Ubuntu and Kubuntu.

After this optimization, I am getting maximum download speeds in Ubuntu / Kubuntu.

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