Peer caching (saving bandwidth)

When you image several machines on the same network, CloudImage's peer caching stops each one re-downloading the same large files (Windows images, driver packs, app / Office installers) from the cloud.

How it works

Before downloading a file, a device asks the local network "does anyone already have this?" - and if a nearby device does, it pulls the file from that peer over the LAN instead of the internet.

• Fully automatic - nothing to enable per deployment. A background cache service starts early in every deployment and stops on reboot.
• The Site subnet (CIDR) (see Users & Sites) defines which devices count as same-LAN peers.
• The deployment console shows live peer hits and bytes saved.

Tips

Peer caching pays off most when devices start staggered or on repeat runs - two machines started at the exact same instant won't share their very first download.

For sites with many devices in parallel, add a Site Server - the local cache means even the first device gets LAN-speed downloads after the initial pull.