Abstract: Techniques for obtaining a data stream include requesting multiple sources, each of which contains a copy of the data stream, to send different respective segments of the data stream to a specified destination and dynamically adjusting the relative number of segments of the data stream that each of the sources should subsequently send. The relative number of segments of the data stream that the sources should send can be adjusted repeatedly until the entire data stream is received. The ability to dynamically adjust the number of segments being sent over a particular route can be particularly advantageous in high latency or chaotic networks in which the throughput of various connections may vary and may change with time. The techniques can help improve the speed at which files or other data streams are transferred by optimizing the overall throughput of the system. The techniques also can help reduce bottlenecking.