Downloading, and its counterpart “uploading”, refer to the transfer of data between two computers. The data, usually in the format of one or more files, is uploaded to or downloaded from the other computer. Either computer may be referred to as being the “local” or the “remote” machine, depending on your location. One of the two computers is typically operating in an unattended mode, and is then referred to as the “host”, while the other may be referred to as the “client”, although these roles may be easily reversed. One way to remember the distinction between up and downloading is to think of data files as books you either “put up” or “get down” from a shelf.