With Ubuntu Karmic Koala generating all the hype, downloading a full CD image for the same has been a problem for many users all over the world due to the high and sudden traffic surge. But you can download the entire CD or DVD images in a few seconds if you have a Ubuntu Karmic alpha, beta or RC CD / DVD image. Here is how you do it.

Install ZSYNC

Zsync is an utility that lets you update your existing CD/DVD images in no time using a copy of that image on a remote server. Here is how you install it:

sudo aptitude install zsync

Next Important Step

Copy the exisiting Ubuntu Karmic alpha, beta or RC image available with you to your home directory and rename it to: ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso

Run ZSYNC

Now this step is important. Since you copied your already available beta,alpha, RC image to you home directory, you have to run zsync from your home directory itself. So simply navigate to your home directory and run one of the following commands for getting the 32 bit Desktop CD ISO image of Ubuntu Karmic Koala:

zsync http://mirrors.cat.pdx.edu/ubuntu-releases/9.10/ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso.zsync
zsync http://ftp.usf.edu/pub/ubuntu-releases/9.10/ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso.zsync
zsync http://mirror.as29550.net/releases.ubuntu.com/9.10/ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso.zsync
zsync http://mirror.anl.gov/pub/ubuntu-iso/CDs-Ubuntu/9.10/ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso.zsync
zsync http://mirrors.xmission.com/ubuntu-cd/9.10/ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso.zsync
zsync http://ubuntu.osuosl.org/releases/9.10/ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso.zsync
zsync http://ubuntu.inode.at/cdimage/karmic/ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso.zsync

All these are basically different mirror, so you need to run only one of them. Instructions for getting ISO images for other flavours and editions of Karmic Koala can be found here.