Client-side Downloads FAQ

Akamai Download Manager and Client – side Downloads modules leverage the Akamai NetSession Interface, a distributed networking software which greatly enhance the quality and speed of downloads and video streams you get from websites that support Akamai technology.

What is the Akamai NetSession Interface?
The Akamai NetSession Interface is distributed networking software which greatly enhances the quality and speed of downloads and video streams you get from websites that support Akamai technology. The Akamai NetSession Interface handles the caching, reflecting and sending of files delivered to you through the Akamai network. The software is safe and secure, and does not contain any adware or spyware and never will. It can also be easily removed if you no longer wish to use it (see 'How do I uninstall the Akamai NetSession Interface?').

Why should I use the Akamai NetSession Interface?
The Akamai NetSession Interface improves the speed and quality of downloads and streams that your favorite sites are able to provide to you. You'll see a great improvement in your download experience. The client does away with much of the traffic spikes and network congestion that can make the Net a difficult place to get your content. Most sites that support the Akamai NetSession Interface do so to provide you a much richer, broadband-enabled service offering.

How does the Akamai NetSession Interface work?
When you click on a link utilizing the Akamai NetSession Interface, the technology creates efficiency and speed in several ways. The client works by coordinating all caches of content on the network, including caches on end user machines as well as thousands of Akamai edge servers distributed around the world. Mostly, the client employs significantly more intelligence in the download process:
  • downloading from multiple sources of a file simultaneously
  • capable of connecting to other end user machines to help speed delivery
  • continually looking for (and connecting to) faster/nearer sources of a file
  • intelligently routing your download around network congestion and traffic spikes

What information is shared between the Akamai NetSession Interface and my computer?
The Akamai NetSession Interface captures and stores about the same information as a standard web server. The Akamai NetSession Interface is made up of various networking protocols designed to manage the distribution of files over IP networks and is solely used for that function. And just to be clear: The Akamai NetSession Interface is networking software only. Absolutely zero personal information is *ever* captured, shared or stored via the Akamai NetSession Interface.

How do I install the Akamai NetSession Interface?
The Akamai NetSession Interface is technology that is integrated into other software applications that utilize the Akamai desktop networking technology. Akamai also distributes a Download Manager that can integrate with the Akamai NetSession Interface.

What are the minimum system requirements for the Akamai NetSession Interface?
The Akamai NetSession Interface works with Windows 2000, XP, Vista as well as Mac OS X 10.4+.

How do I uninstall the Akamai NetSession Interface (Windows)?
Before you uninstall, please note: If you uninstall this service, you will delete files downloaded to the cache folders under the installation folders. If you don't want to delete those files, copy or move them to a different folder. Normally, you will find the downloaded files under C:\Program Files\Common Files\Akamai\Cache.

If you do not have a serious need to uninstall the service, it may be better not to, since other downloads may later require NetSession.

Also, the Akamai NetSession Interface is a shared network library that may be used by multiple applications. It will uninstall correctly only when other applications using the interface are uninstalled. Other applications may not perform correctly if they look for but do not find the NetSession Interface. For that reason, you should not simply delete the NetSession files.

Preferred Method

The simplest and preferred method of removing NetSession interface is to use the Add or Remove Programs application.
  1. In the Windows Control Panel, run Add or Remove Programs.
  2. Select Akamai NetSession Interface
  3. Click Change/Remove, then click Yes to confirm your choice.
Alternate Method
  1. Open Windows Explorer
  2. Go to the NetSession installation folder. Normally this will be C:\Program Files\Common Files\Akamai\.
  3. Double-click uninstall.exe.
Operating System Level Alternative

If you prefer using the operating system (DOS prompt) command line:
  1. Go to the command line.
  2. Select Command Prompt from the Start menu, or select Run on the Start menu, type "cmd" into the Open text box, then click OK.
  3. Go to the NetSession installation folder. Normally this will be C:\Program Files\Common Files\Akamai\.
  4. Type the command: AdminTool uninstall -force
  5. Press the Enter key to complete the task.

How do I uninstall the Akamai NetSession Interface (Macintosh)?
Before you uninstall, please note: If you uninstall the service, you will delete files downloaded to the cache folders under the installation folders. If you don't want to delete those files, copy or move them to a different folder. Normally, you will find the downloaded files under /Applications/Akamai/Cache.

If you do not have a serious need to uninstall the service, it may be better not to, since other downloads may later require NetSession.

Also, the Akamai NetSession Interface is a shared network library that may be used by multiple applications. It will uninstall correctly only when other applications using the interface are uninstalled. Other applications may not perform correctly if they look for but do not find the NetSession Interface. For that reason, you should not simply delete the NetSession files.

Macintosh Uninstall
The simplest and preferred method is to use the Finder to go to the NetSession Interface installation folder, which is normally /Applications/Akamai/, then double-click the uninstaller app. Confirm your decision.

Macintosh Alternative Uninstall
  1. Go to the command line of your computer. In the Application -> Utilities folder, double-left click Terminal.
  2. Go to the Akamai NetSession Interface installation folder, which is normally /Applications/Akamai/
  3. Type the command
    AdminTool uninstall -force
  4. Press the Enter (Return) key to complete the command.
Alternative Method Using Launch Unload
This alternative method may be used, for example, if you deleted AdminTool without running the AdminTool uninstall steps described just above. This uninstall involves required steps of manually stopping the client, then removing the installation directory, the automatic startup script, and the preferences panel.
  1. Go to the command line of your computer. In the Application -> Utilities folder, double-left click Terminal.
  2. Go to the Akamai NetSession Interface installation folder, which is normally /Applications/Akamai/.
  3. Type the following lines, and after typing each line, press the Enter (Return) key to complete the command:
    launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.akamai.client.plist
    rm -rf /Applications/Akamai
    rm -rf ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.akamai.client.plist
    rm -rf ~/Library/PreferencePanes/AkamaiNetSession.prefPane
  4. If the NetSession client isn't stopped when you have gone through these steps, restart your computer to complete the operation.

What are the Do's and Don'ts of the Akamai NetSession Interface?
Akamai has always provided professional software that respects its users and their systems. The Akamai NetSession Interface has been so non-intrusive that people often have questions as to what the background service DOES and DOES NOT do.

The Akamai NetSession Interface DOES:
  • provide client networking technology to enable applications to enhance their video and file download capabilities.
  • enable secure, closed peer-to-peer networking so that websites can deliver files to their users economically and with faster downloads.
  • provide in-depth information about what the Akamai NetSession Interface does and how it works.
  • provide simple ways for the user to turn the netsession interface off
  • provide a simple uninstall process
  • provide an AdminTool for the user to see utilization system resources and client activity

It DOES NOT:
  • monitor your browsing or other Internet activity
  • pop-up ads
  • interrupt your web viewing experience with prompts or other annoying software tactics
  • interfere with other applications on your machine
  • hide itself on your system
  • take over your computer, nor monopolize your computer's resources

Is there any way to see the Akamai NetSession Interface's networking activity and other settings?
The Akamai NetSession Interface has an advanced settings interface. Most users can access the administrative tool in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Akamai\AdminTool.exe
  • Launch AdminTool from the command line
  • AdminTool supports information about cached files, network activity, and other applications utilizing the client library
  • AdminTool also provides ability to uninstall and turn the client off

Does the networking service work when I have a NAT or firewall set up? Do I have to do anything special for the Akamai NetSession Interface to function properly?
Akamai's desktop networking technology is built to automatically detect the network environment (including NATs) and perform the most effective networking techniques to send or receive the data prescribed for delivery. Akamai has designed the client to work without any configuration on your part. That means you don't have to set up port-forwarding, turn your Firewall or NAT off, or do anything different than before. As there are always unique system configurations or new network setups that come up, the networking library provides information to the applications that depend on it about any networking request that could not be fulfilled. For more information, or to provide feedback or input on an unsupported configuration please complete our feedback form so that we can continue to improve our software.
Thanks!

What is this TCP connection that I see when I do a netstat on my machine?
Like most network communications software, the Akamai NetSession Interface communicates with a centralized directory, what we call the Akamai Control Plane, so the network knows your system's network status and availability. If downloads are slow, or sources are unavailable, the client can ask for more client sources, or alternatively switch to pulling from other servers.

Will the Akamai NetSession Interface ever deliver content to my system that I have not asked for?
Absolutely not. Only content or downloads that you have asked for will be downloaded by the Akamai NetSession Interface. In addition, some content providers may allow you to sign-up for background-delivered content channels. For example, a sports site might offer a highlights reel that you can sign up for and have background delivered. If you signed up for that channel, it will be pre-delivered to your system as the highlights are made available.

Will uploading or sending data overwhelm or saturate my connection?
Only certain websites and applications utilize client-to-client delivery capabilities. For those applications that use this library capability, upstream bandwidth utilization will only happen when the network is underutilized and is intended to be unnoticeable.

Why does my download show as paused with 0% progress?
This has been a problem for some users of certain proxy servers. You may be using a proxy server that is configured to a combination of settings that results in incompatibility with the Akamai NetSession Interface--namely, it does not allow TCP tunneling, it ignores requests to cache downloads, and it strips or ignores HTTP range requests. This situation can be difficult to confirm, but it is a chief suspect with regard to a download apparently starting but showing 0% progress.

For an immediate solution, the only remedy may be to download the file from an alternate link that does not use NetSession Interface. On a longer term, you may wish to check with the proxy server administrator to confirm that the incompatibilities exist and then request that they change their settings.