Many larger sites get so much traffic (requests for information) that they have a hard time handling all of the requests. The administrator of the site makes arrangements with another site (usually across the country) to mirror the same information. This reduces the bandwidth across the entire internet. Ideally, if users are given a choice to get information from several different mirror sites - they will choose the geographically closest location. Mirroring makes the information more accessible to users of the Internet. Mirroring also allows for a backup of information - in case the server crashes, is down for maintenance, or problem exists anywhere along the path of the information.
Question: Are mirrors always exactly the same?
Question: Why can I get information faster from a mirror in Australia than I can get the same information from a local server?
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