Support for large files?

[Guest dranet]

I help run a digital scrapbooking site. All our products right now are digital downloads - some of them very large (over 100 meg). It would be REALLY nice if the files could be broken down into smaller zip files, especially for those dial up users.

Right now the only way to do that is to break up the "kits" into smaller zip files and sell them separately. Will CubeCart 4 have multiple file capability? If not, does anyone know of a decent mod that will accomplish this? I haven't found one yet!

Thank you!

Tracy Drane

[Guest]

Not mod IMO yet does this as I would like to see it done and presented.

[Guest]

What people don't realize is that PHP won't support uploads of files that large. This leaves FTP. That may be all well and good, but 100MB? That's just an incredibly large file. I find it hard to conceive of a reason for such a huge file. But I'm open to explanation.

I am indeed considering multiple file mod as people keep clamoring for it

:)

[Robsta]

Why not use FTP?

[Guest]

I have a product that is a recording of a 3 day seminar. The ZIP file size is 600MB, and it's recorded as an MP3. I have another product that is a collection of 1000's of HTML templates, including flash, PSDs, javascript, and more. I haven't added it because the ZIP file size would be 4GB if I did upload it.

Do you understand now? The problem is amplified when mulitmedia products are involved.

And how does FTP fit in to a download situation?

[Guest]

Gotcha. I can see how you'd have such large files when you do that kind of thing.

To offer a file or set of files that large, you really couldn't use PHP to deliver it. It would take too long and timeout. I have a couple of ideas, but they would only work on Linux servers. It would take some fancy coding and a cron job or two to work.

:)

[Guest gwizard]

Why not offer it as streaming ?

Or upload it to FTP manually and then just use it in CC ?

Or sell it on CD's ?

You have so many options here.

[Robsta]

Ah I see. I thought you were trying to upload it using PHP. The download system with CubeCart may not be so suitable for a file that big. One workaround is for your product to download a document, which has additional download information for the actual product, ie a download path, username and password and use apache security to protect the file. Customers will need to enter a generic username and password to access the file download, which you can change occasionally. Just a thought :)

[Guest]

Robsta, that's probably the best solution. Especially with your idea of periodically changing the passwords, which if done once a month shouldn't take too much administration time.

GWizard's suggestion of only offering the product via CD or DVD is the direction I had been going for these.

Of course, if Sir William has an idea to do this via cron jobs and automatic (random) passwords, then so much the better. The customer could get a link that can redirect to the actual file which is protected via Apache (with one of many choices, such as mod_auth_mysql and others) with passwords assigned to each order. That takes PHP and memory requirements out of the picture and allows for the continuation of interrupted downloads.

A good example of a script using many different protection methods for specific time periods is aMemberPro. This is a membership management script that I used for years to sell and protect my digital products.

[Guest]

A solution I'd like to see is that instead of just one field for file paths on digital downloads you can have multiple paths.

Then when they purchase the product the email with download links has x number of links.

[Guest]

Alan, in building my new Automated Database Backup solution, I had to overcome several hurdles including automated regular password changes and mixing PHP & Perl scripts in cron jobs. (neither are as easy as they sound)

I think with some creative application of symbolic links, one could create a download system for VERY large files that would let Apache & the OS do the work instead of any scripts. Then the cron would remove the links when a set time had elapsed. You wouldn't get the # of downloads restrictions with it, but it would certainly be time restricted.

Hit me up in an e-mail if you're interested in pursuing such a monster.

:(

[Guest groovejuice]

Sir William, it's great that you're looking at this problem, there is a great need for mod with multiple file download options. Several of my customer offer audiophile quality albums in mp3 format hat occasionally push the 100 meg boundary. Being able to offer multiple, smaller downloads, rather than one humungous one, is superior. Many of the customers have been from international locations with questionable connections and downloading, single, large files has been problematic.