Best way to download files ?

[leegold2]

Hi,

I have a local Linux server that serves .FLV streaming videos. I want to add other media like mp3 audio files. For these audio files I just want the user to be able to download the whole file and then use the player of their choice to hear it. Is there any advantage to:

<A HREF="ftp://download.file.com/pub/files/file.exe">FTP</A>

vs.

<A HREF="[URL unfurl="true"]http://download.file.com/download/file.exe">HTTP</A>[/URL]

I assume for the ftp I'd need an ftp server process running. I'll only have several users using the server at one time. But, the files could be pretty big. It would all be running from one box...

Thanks

 

[Noway2]

Yes you would need an FTP server. The problem with basic FTP is that by default it is insecure, but depending on your needs this may be a non-issue. Assuming your using Apache, you can have a link to a page of files and the user can get a directory listing and simply download the files. You could use .htaccess to control access to that page if desired.

Unfortunately, I can't comment on the reliability of an FTP versus and HTTP download. I think, but am not 100% sure that FTP may resume where it left off if it had problems. Overall, my experience with FTP has been worse than with HTTP and I will even download Linux ISO files at about ~700MB with http given the choice.

 

[feherke]

Hi

I think, but am not 100% sure that FTP may resume where it left off if it had problems.

HTTP servers used to support that too. It is quite simple, I wrote about it in thread65-1647046 .

The only good reason to use FTP here is to force the user to download the file before playing it. Which I consider a pointless annoyance.


Feherke.

http://free.rootshell.be/~feherke/