Leeching Problems

[alc]

Hey,

A group of us currently run a DC hub on an internal WAN with bandwidth capabilities of approximately 200kB/sec up and 400kB/sec down - edit: this does not approach our true bandwidth, internal traffic is capped at these speeds while external traffic is somewhere around 1.4mBit both ways

We have something around 2 terabytes of data being shared, but most of it is centred around dedicated sharers who bring in new files and share them for the rest of the hub to enjoy. Downloading outside of our WAN, which is also our ISP, is very difficult due to packet shaping and other measures.

Our problem is that some users log on with very little share, download the latest episode of their favourite show from the person who went through the trouble of getting it and not making it available for the rest of the hub in turn by either logging off immediately or simply not sharing their downloads folder. This, to me, is leeching. It's a problem because the very good speed we achieve enables users to quickly get files and leave.

What I'd like to know is if there are protocols or scripts available to somehow alleviate this problem. Ideally, I thought, would be to place a relationship between the ratio of downloaded/uploaded data and download speeds. For example, if there was a ratio of 1:2, for every 2 bytes of download, you would have to upload 1 byte to enjoy the full potential speed of our DC hub. If you uploaded less than this, your download speed would be capped until your share ratio became less leechy.

What I'm wondering is if there are other alternatives - especially those already fleshed out and ready to be implemented.

Thanks in advance,
alc