transferring large files to someone

[vgoklani]

Hi,

I have a powerbook G4, running 10.4.3, attached an airport express attached to a cable modem. I would like to send a large file to some clients (> 10G), some running macs, others runnings PCs. What is the best way to do this? Should I create an FTP server and just let people download files from my laptop? Is there a way for me to send them to other people? what about iGet or SFTP?

 

[risc]

Hi,

I have a powerbook G4, running 10.4.3, attached an airport express attached to a cable modem. I would like to send a large file to some clients (> 10G), some running macs, others runnings PCs. What is the best way to do this? Should I create an FTP server and just let people download files from my laptop? Is there a way for me to send them to other people? what about iGet or SFTP?

You probably want to use BitTorrent.

 

[iMeowbot]

With files that large, I'd be a more than a little annoyed to be told to download them. That's up to the point where it starts to make sense to mail out loaded drives, or at least DVDs.

 

[vgoklani]

but downloading/uploading is a lot more convenient than physically mailing discs.

 

[risc]

If you want to transfer huge files like this you need to consider bittorrent, but I agree with iMeowBot you shouldn't be expecting people to do this. Downloading 10GB is kind of retarded!

What exactly are you doing that requires 10GB of files to be transfered to your "clients"?

 

[vgoklani]

I am sending processed scientific data (astronomical images, raw and processed files), I would like a way to send data back and forth. I am not a fan of burning discs.

 

[risc]

I am sending processed scientific data (astronomical images, raw and processed files), I would like a way to send data back and forth. I am not a fan of burning discs.

It sounds like BitTorrent is exactly what you need if you have more than 1 person to send it to.

 

[vgoklani]

but isn't there a more direct way of doing it. How do I setup an FTP server? Also, how would I log into my colleagues Powermac (on the other side of the country) and just put the files into his directory?

 

[risc]

OS X is a UNIX like OS so of course you can do it using ftp, http, sftp, etc. The reason I am suggesting BitTorrent is it allows you to share the bandwidth stress, but if you want to use a 1 to 1 system I'd suggest ssh/sftp/scp (all the same thing) both of you need to have the ssh server running and you can use the command line sftp or scp commands to connect and dump the files (see the man pages), or most GOOD OS X ftp apps like Transmit include ssh support. You'll need to set up accounts for each other on your respective machines and then you just log in using your login and password.

It is basically the same for the built in FTP server you add an account and they log in.

 

[CanadaRAM]

Presumably you have some web space with your ISP.
FTP your files up to your "website", create a HTML page with simple links to the file(s), then email your clients the name of the HTML file and the URL of your web space. Nop passwords needed, no worry whether they are Mac or PC, no torrent or ftp clients. They just go to the web page with their browser and click to download.

If this will be an ongoing thing, you can simply add the new files to the same page. If it needs to be secure, ask your ISP about password protection for a directory of your website.

 

[vgoklani]

how would i setup the FTP connection: to receive? to send? it's tricky because i have a airport express attached to a cable modem, so I don't quite understand how that would work? ie: how does the airport express know to connect the ftp to my laptop?

 

[vgoklani]

10GBs is nothing in this business!

 

[risc]

how would i setup the FTP connection: to receive? to send? it's tricky because i have a airport express attached to a cable modem, so I don't quite understand how that would work? ie: how does the airport express know to connect the ftp to my laptop?

You need to read up on port forwarding.

 

[ATD]

I would check with every one of your clients to see if they felt this was good for them. I share an office space and a T1 line with another firm. I can not think of a faster way to really piss off everyone I work with than downloading a 10GB file during business hours. It would be an all day transfer that would bring the rest of the office down to a crawl when it came to accessing the Internet. I do create and get files that are in the GBs all the time, anything over a half GB is either transfered at night or cut to DVD.

 

[road dog]

Here's your options:

1. Send via a network - like post to server and download
2. Copy to external hard drive and send by mail
3. Burn to DVDs and send

#3 is the easiest... problem is that if you burn with the basic stuff in the OS you will be out of luck... 10 GB is too big to fit on one DVD.

Best option... go out and buy a copy of Toast 7.

It has data spanning - which can split the large file across multiple DVDs... on each DVD is a piece of software that can rejoin the split file. So you send your DVDs to the other Mac user and they can then rejoin the files with the software that comes on the DVD itself... they don't need Toast on the other end.

 

[cgratti]

Do you realize how long 10GB will take to upload and download?

Quite some time... Cant you burn them to a DVD?

 

[vgoklani]

I can let the upload run all night, so bandwidth is not an issue. But I don't know how to setup an FTP so people can login to my laptop.

 

[ATD]

Alright here's one more reason to reconsider DVDs. My ftp has a monthly cap of 30GB of downloads, once you go over that you will get hit with an extra bill at $2.00 per GB. So if 10 people download your 10GB file in one month you will pay an extra $140.00. It also costs much more to increase the disk space for store files that large.

Also you are assuming that your clients would not mind tying up a computer or even their networks for a very long time just to get your file. I don't know about your business but in my line of work I do what is more convenient for my client, not myself.

 

[vgoklani]

bandwidth limitations aren't an issue - I am doing a PhD in astrophysics, and I need to send data back and forth to members of my research group while I am away. I don't like media, and I would prefer to FTP things. So hopefully someone can help me setup an FTP server so people can login to my laptop when they need to. This shouldn't be so hard, but I have googled, and I have yet to find any real answers. Surely someone must know how to setup an FTP connection so that people can login to my laptop, which is connected to an airport express via a cable modem. Again, I don't care about bandwidth, the laptop can transfer files for days at a time, but I would like some help setting up an ftp connection. logging into the universities computer isn't a problem, but i would like people to be able to log in to my computer, and I would like to restrict the directories they have access to. Moreover, I don't want to create seperate accounts for them, so there must be some way of doing this via virtual accounts.

 

[ChrisFromCanada]

If you can keep a sustained transfer of 100KBps upload on your Cable connection which may be possible, it will take approximately 27.8 hours to transfer 10GB to each person. If there are 10 people in your group that means it will take over 11.5 days to do the transfer, as well, as ATD mentioned it may cost you through the nose with your ISP. If you can properly configure bittorrent this may work better for you as the bandwidth will be shared and people can share what they have with others. You could probably do the entire transfer to all the people in 2 days using bittorrent.

Its not that people don't know how to configure an ftp, its just that they are trying to help you and save you time and trouble.

 

[Agathon]

I did this today with a large file that was far too big to send via IM.

If it isn't confidential material, just stick it in your "Sites" folder and turn on Web Sharing. Then find out your IP address and attach /~yourusername/nameoffile and anyone can download it by pasting that into a browser or clicking on the link.

If you have a router you will need to forward a port and use your router's IP address. This is not complicated, it took me about 30 seconds to do (and I'd never done it before). The procedure will differ based on your router.

 

[Agathon]

Presumably you have some web space with your ISP.
FTP your files up to your "website", create a HTML page with simple links to the file(s), then email your clients the name of the HTML file and the URL of your web space. Nop passwords needed, no worry whether they are Mac or PC, no torrent or ftp clients. They just go to the web page with their browser and click to download.

If this will be an ongoing thing, you can simply add the new files to the same page. If it needs to be secure, ask your ISP about password protection for a directory of your website.

He wouldn't even need to do that. He can run the web server off his laptop like I did today. Just mail the link to the appropriate people.

 

[Agathon]

bandwidth limitations aren't an issue - I am doing a PhD in astrophysics, and I need to send data back and forth to members of my research group while I am away. I don't like media, and I would prefer to FTP things. So hopefully someone can help me setup an FTP server so people can login to my laptop when they need to. This shouldn't be so hard, but I have googled, and I have yet to find any real answers. Surely someone must know how to setup an FTP connection so that people can login to my laptop, which is connected to an airport express via a cable modem. Again, I don't care about bandwidth, the laptop can transfer files for days at a time, but I would like some help setting up an ftp connection. logging into the universities computer isn't a problem, but i would like people to be able to log in to my computer, and I would like to restrict the directories they have access to. Moreover, I don't want to create seperate accounts for them, so there must be some way of doing this via virtual accounts.

If your computer is a web server or FTP server, they can only get into your public folder or your sites folder.

OS X does both beautifully.