Abstract: Control of the transfer of data objects over a communications link is achieved by obtaining a representative data object having an object size and a transfer time over the communications link. The object size of the representative data object is determined. The transfer time of the representative data object is determined. An effective transfer rate for the communications link is determined using the transfer time and object size. The effective transfer rate is compared to a predetermined value. A number of transfers to perform concurrently is determined based upon the comparison.