Bob Friesenhahn wrote:
On Sun, 26 Apr 2009, Shawn Walker wrote:
I agree, *but* it isn't really practical to publish files this size over
http. http is a lousy protocol for large file downloads as it is, and
its even worse for uploads.
Why is HTTP a lousy protocol for large file downloads or uploads? Is
this because it uses TCP rather than SCTP?
I won't claim to be a network protocol expert, but, in my view it is
because:
* ftp was designed for file transfer, while http was later retrofitted
to better accommodate it
* ftp is more resilient for WAN applications, and has a lower setup
overhead for transactions
* ftp is easier "to get right" and the libraries for using it are often
much more mature than equivalent http libraries
Of course http is far more proxy-friendly, and I know of many network
administrators that routinely block ftp by default. So, it's all a
matter of tradeoffs.
As I said before though, I plan on altering how http file transfers are
done during publication once a better transport system is in place.
Cheers,
--
Shawn Walker
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