Tell me more ×
Programmers Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professional programmers interested in conceptual questions about software development. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 1 down vote favorite

I have following scenario,

  • a central server which will receive all artifacts (it doesn't have to be software, just any kind of opaque blob)
  • a number of other machines connected with a low bandwidth connection to the same network (think UMTS or Satellite)
  • a large blob of software (around 300 MB) where a xdelta between the revisions is much smaller (a few KB to a few MB)

I need some kind of software which is able to distribute the artifacts, using some kind of delta, bandwidth throttling and the ability to remove older versions from its repository when they not needed anymore, a nice management GUI and it should work on linux and windows. Also it should be relatively lightweight and easy to install.

Is there anything like it?

share|improve this question
where did you search before asking here? – gnat Jan 25 at 12:05
I googled for something like this, but the only stuff that came up was not really what I was looking for. I want to have a slim solution, not TIVOLI. – Mauli Jan 25 at 14:13

closed as not constructive by Walter, Martijn Pieters, gnat, Glenn Nelson, mouviciel Jan 25 at 14:56

As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or specific expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, see the FAQ for guidance.

2 Answers

up vote 2 down vote

Look into some of the work in the Amateur Radio community, especially from the 1990s, around using AX.25 to access amateur satellites (particularly the "microsats"). They had extreme bandwidth constraints and yet wanted to be able to upload and download (literally!) files between ground stations and orbit. Their work included other interesting aspects, like the improbability of being able to fully download a file during a single session, and blending partial downloads into a coherent result.

share|improve this answer
Ah, that brings back memories. A project I once worked on used AX.25 to transmit telemetry from a high altitude research balloon to the ground (ground software was basically a LabView interface). Very bandwidth constrained (maybe 1200 baud if memory serves)... but it worked. And it was fun. – James Adam Jan 25 at 13:47
up vote 0 down vote

Just a 2 cent, but the venerable rsync tool was designed with this scenario in mind.

share|improve this answer
2  
Why? What's good about it? One line answers rarely provide any value. Please expand your answer. – Walter Jan 25 at 12:24
rsync only does a delta between directories, not between (for rsync) unrelated files, so it may be used for the transfer itself, but it doesn't help me with my bandwidth problem – Mauli Jan 25 at 14:15

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.