Allow download from local network

[mick]

Modify steam Client to check local network for Other Steam Clients for Steam games rather than downloading 40GB game via the internet for 48 hours again.

[Cathulhu]

You could copy the gamefiles or for larger networks, setup a caching server:
https://hub.docker.com/r/lancachenet/monolithic

[suit]

i support that idea :)

[mike]

It would be simple for Steam to use a torrent-type mechanism which would automatically fetch from local. That would also save Steam some data out from their servers.

[Cathulhu]

Are you sure it is that simple? Are you an expert in how SteamPipe works?

[Eneco]

Originally posted by mick:

Modify steam Client to check local network for Other Steam Clients for Steam games rather than downloading 40GB game via the internet for 48 hours again.

Can you imagine, just got the exact same idea!
I downloaded the game from another PC in another network, now that im at my parents home for holidays I want to copy the game over to another PC (30+GB + german sucking internet) and was wondering... if i have the "stream" option, why not local network install as well?! Afterwards might do a verify (with option to skip it of course) and just lets start the game?!


OT: you can always copy the data manually - go to Steam\steamapps\ check the manifest file *.acf (open with text editor and check for the correct game) then copy the game folder from inside
Steam\steamapps\common
Make sure to close steam while you copy.

[Cathulhu]

I'm all for it, but i can't imagine it is a simple solution.
As a fellow German, i feel your pain.

I do have some luck and now have a 100/40MBit connection.
Before that, i had 12/1MBit.

Yes, 1.5 Megabyte per second download.

[Gambit-3k]

Originally posted by Cathulhu:

I'm all for it, but i can't imagine it is a simple solution.
As a fellow German, i feel your pain.

I do have some luck and now have a 100/40MBit connection.
Before that, i had 12/1MBit.

Yes, 1.5 Megabyte per second download.

I don't know how difficult it would be either, but if they can stream video from one PC to the other for remote play (locally), they could probably stream (download) some files as well. It's probably not that straight forward, but I would think it's possible. They might be more worried about potential security issues.

[mick]

It would be easy for steam to do as they own both ends of the copy process. There would be no security issues, if anything it would be more secure than downloading over a public network (internet). I always thought there would probably be a manual method but to automate it would be so much neater and it would be nice touch for families who want the same game. Not everyone has fast internet, and games are just getting bigger. The least they could do is publish a detailed manual copy process. My first question with the manual copy, how do i stop the steam client ignoring my copy and just downloading the game anyway?

[Gambit-3k]

Originally posted by mick:

It would be easy for steam to do as they own both ends of the copy process. There would be no security issues, if anything it would be more secure than downloading over a public network (internet). I always thought there would probably be a manual method but to automate it would be so much neater and it would be nice touch for families who want the same game. Not everyone has fast internet, and games are just getting bigger. The least they could do is publish a detailed manual copy process. My first question with the manual copy, how do i stop the steam client ignoring my copy and just downloading the game anyway?

You can use the manual backup option by hitting Steam in the top left and selecting backup and restore, it's pretty straight forward. As far as manually copying without that feature, you can just copy the game folder from one PC to the others library folder, and then when you select to install the game, it will actually scan the files without downloading anything.

I think your idea would be cool for the record, and while I want to think it wouldn't be an obvious security issue, whenever you allow a program to send files from one PC to another, you have to be careful to consider any malicious programs that might take over or abuse that process. I'm not a security expert though (very far from it), and I do think it would be an awesome feature.

[aiusepsi]

Originally posted by Cathulhu:

Are you sure it is that simple? Are you an expert in how SteamPipe works?

It's pretty simple. Steam already has the feature to detect another running Steam client on the local network (it's how local streaming works), and a SteamPipe content server is extremely simple by design.

All content on Steam is broken up into chunks each about 1 MB in size, and for each version of a game there's a manifest which specifies how those chunks are assembled into the game's files. The content servers are just standard web servers from which the client downloads chunks. To give the Steam client the ability to act as a content server, you would just need to give it the ability to send a chunk to another Steam client that asks for it. Clients already have the manifest which is map of how to find chunks in a game's files, so being able to find and send those chunks is trivial.

There's no risk to getting chunks from somewhere other than a Steam content server, this possibility is already designed in and accounted for. As has been mentioned already, people running intercepting caching proxies is already a thing, and this is explicitly supported by Steam. Just like Steam can locally verify your files, it has the information to determine if a chunk is genuine or not.

The only risk is implementation mistakes in the system which the clients use to talk to each other leaving open a security vulnerability, but that Rubicon is already crossed because local client discovery and local streaming is already a thing.

[zanac]

I try restore from backup and failed. Steam client seek something and want install without internet...

[mick]

They could even make it a manually enabled option so you could designate the fastest computer as the "local steam server" that could redistribute steam content to other PCs on the network. I do not understand why not as i would think from a sales point of view this would increase sales. I personally know that the limiting factor in buying games is more to do with download times rather than cost. If i buy a new game my entire family are annoyed as all the online games or streaming suffer. This was so big an issue i have programmed groups on my router to distribute bandwidth.

[Pocahawtness]

Why would you want to download a game more than once on a local network anyway?

[Cathulhu]

Because there are local networks that are bigger than just 2-3 PCs. Or have a limited data cap.

[Snapjak]

Offices (that allow it), LAN parties, colleges, gaming cafes... these things have been around for decades and such a feature would be great. Would have been great a decade ago... buuuut whatever right?