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The technology research firm, IDC, issued a new study in March 2007 that estimates that the world in 2006 generated a total of 161 exabytes -- that's 161 billion gigabytes -- of digital information. And they forecast that that figure will increase to 988 exabytes -- or almost 1 zettabyte -- by 2010.
Source: Brian Bergstein, The Associated Press [as published in The Oregonian, March 6, 2007]
Confused by terms like �bytes� and �Gigabit� and �kilobyte� and �mbps� and the like?
To help you sort this stuff out, let�s first declare that there are TWO kinds of measurements we need to make in our world of computing and networking:
File size is how big a file is on your computer. How much your hard disk can hold is a measure of the aggregate theoretical file sizes it can accommodate. RAM � random access memory � is also measured in terms of such capacity. This kind of measure is usually expressed in terms of various forms of �bytes�, such as �kilobytes� or �megabytes� or �gigabytes�.
A �byte�, for our purposes, is equivalent to a single �character� in your word processing document, for example.
In this context, a kilobyte � because it is based on binary arithmetic that is at the heart of computer operations � represents 1,024 bytes (that is, it equals 2 to the power of 10). Thus,
On the other hand, data communication rates are expressed in terms of �bits�. You should know that EONI Internet access rates, whether for dialup, wireless or DSL, are based on bits, as in �kilobits� and �megabits�. And these are presented in terms of rates, usually as bits per second. For example:
These kind of measurements are expressed in decimal terms, that is, powers of 10, whereas storage and memory capacities as we indicated earlier, are usually expressed in binary, or powers of 2.
This is where many of us start getting into trouble. The general rule is determined by whether the abbreviations are expressed in uppercase or in lowercase. Therefore:
Like all good rules, however, expect to see them frequently broken, even by technical people who should know better. But it is not necessarily a great crime to express things in �rough� 1000-based units rather than the precise power of 2 where that applies, if we are just trying to indicate approximate relative differences.
Because there is such confusion and inconsistency in how these measurements are expressed, a newer scheme of terminology is coming into practice by international standards bodies. Under this scheme, measurements that are based on powers of 2 (binary) are recommended to be named as follows, shown in contrast with their decimal �equivalents�:
| DECIMAL/METRIC | BINARY | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| kilobyte | kB | 10^3 | kibibyte | KiB | 2^10 |
| megabyte | MB | 10^6 | mebibyte | MiB | 2^20 |
| gigabyte | GB | 10^9 | gibibyte | GiB | 2^30 |
| terabyte | TB | 10^12 | tebibyte | TiB | 2^40 |
| petabyte | PB | 10^15 | pebibyte | PiB | 2^50 |
| exabyte | EB | 10^18 | exbibyte | EiB | 2^60 |
| zettabyte | ZB | 10^21 | zebibyte | ZiB | 2^70 |
| yottabyte | YB | 10^24 | yobibyte | YiB | 2^80 |
To begin with, the simple formula expressing the relationship between bits and bytes is:
(A single bit is a mathematical construct that we use to tell us whether an electrical signal is on (represented by 1) or off (represented by 0). If you want to learn more about how things work at that level, you can explore the topic in many computer technical texts in libraries, classrooms and � of course � published all over the Internet.)
So, based on this formula, if we start with values stated as Bytes, and want to convert to bit-rates, we simply need to multiply the number of Bytes by 8. (Why would you want to convert between �apples� and �oranges�, that is, between Capacities and Transfer Rates? Well, it is not uncommon to see figures which intend to measure, say, traffic statistics, which might want to reflect how much data � in binary-based storage units � can be moved over time; for example, kilobytes of data per second, or KB/s) And to derive KB/s (which would be the ratio of KiloBytes per second) from bit rates, you will have to divide the total bits by 8, then divide the result by 1,024 (see In Practical Terms, below).
Consider the EONI Speed Test (http://home2.eoni.com/servicesSpeedTest.cfm). Speeds are reported as kbps (kilobits per second) along with the KB/sec (kilobytes per second) transfer rate. For example, a fast, high-bandwidth connection might show a test result like this:
If you divide the kbps figure by the KB/sec figure, you will see that it approximates (or rounds off to) the value of � 8!
If you really want to take these kinds of calculation further, you would find that:
What you probably really want to do is to figure out things like, on your particular connection, how fast you can download a file of a particular size.
(First, you should keep in mind that the nominal rating for your connection refers to its theoretical maximum, best-case capability, and in �real life� will be influenced and limited by many factors, such the quality of your telephone lines, atmospheric conditions, foliage for wireless connections, server performance at external sites, moon phase and your zodiac sign and much more.)
The basics of your calculation would start with something like this:
� which is the flip side of:
For example, looking at the EONI Bronze Residential Plan, nominally rated at 1Mbs/256Kbs, we can find that its maximum download transfer rate would be about 122 KB/sec, and maximum upload transfer rate would be about 31 KB/sec. This may be mathematically expressed as follows:
If 1 KB (KiloByte) = 1,024 Bytes
Then 1 KB = 8,192 bits
And 1 MB (MegaByte) = 1,024 KiloBytes
Or 1 MB (MegaByte) = 1,048,576 Bytes (i.e., 1024 x 1024)
And 1 GB (GigaByte) = 1,073,741,824 Bytes (i.e., 1024 x 1024 x 1024)
But if 1 mb = one million bits or one thousand kb
Then 1 mbps (bit rate) = one million bits per second
And 1 gbps (bit rate) = one billion bits per second
