Help with free download space upload.
 

I've been offering free fast download in Los Angeles, CA for some time and provide well over 50 users access to my services free of charge. I'm not asking for money but I would like to change my service; rather than giving all users FTP access to their own folders, I'd like to do some organizing and restricting (I hate restrictions but many users have abused my services and the mistakes of some affect all). I would like to go from giving all users FTP access to a form allowing many uploads to similar directories. So rather than having 30 users who have the same maps, models, etc... I'd prefer to have any of the same name files with the same file sizes merged together in one simple directory structure.

For example, my root directory would just be / and then there would be /cs16 (for cs 1.6) and /cscz and /tf2 and /css (etc...) and in each of those would be their respective directory structures. A user would select the game they would like to upload their files to and it would automatically make sure the same file did not exist already; if it did, it would notify the user and not upload the file (if same file size). The main road block here seems that if a user has a different version of the same file (so different sized map but the same one), obviously if one gets overwritten, the other would have problems then.

If anyone has ideas about how to remedy this situation because it seems having so many of the same files, it wastes extra space and unnecessarily uses my server's resources, please let me know of them. If I cannot remedy this situation, I may revoke my offer and begin deleting any/all accounts because it's inefficient at current moment.

Thank you,

Slmclarengt

Re: Help with free download space upload.
 

The only thing I could think of is to have a website where they could post maps and have you or another moderator on the site upload the maps. That way it could be like a community downloadurl site. :D Genious, you are slmclarentgt.

Re: Help with free download space upload.
 

Sending you a PM.

Re: Help with free download space upload.
 

Otherwise if you could somehow find a way for someone to post it on the website and automatically put it on the site. But that might not be necessarily safe.

Re: Help with free download space upload.
 

The thing is, if a user has one map that differs from another user's map, they will need to have that map unless they can compromise otherwise they would need their own dedicated space for ALL their files.

This is because sv_downloadurl is only used once so if the folder structure does not match, there is nothing that can be done. Another option would making them rename their map (from say de_dust2_fun if it exists and is different size to de_dust2_fun1) so that both maps can live together :D.

I was hoping someone of the many people I host for was a good coder so I could ask a favor of helping me make this preferably PHP/JAVA code. I do actually have a nice program to go off of already called "ElementIT.JavaPowUpload1.0"

It's actually quite a cool little application and I will upload it in case anyone else wants it or can help me with modifying it to suit my sv_downloadurl needs.

Slmclarengt

Re: Help with free download space upload.
 

you said it, the problem are the maps who named equal, but differs.

my idea:
run a cron script who compares all files with a reference folder, and if equal deleting the file and creating a softlink to the reference.

you know, my english ^^
i hope you know what i mean.

Re: Help with free download space upload.
 

I really appreciate what your doing. But solving this problem is a major pain in the A**. All I'm saying is that if your going to do it. Its going to be frustrating cause the slightest mistake could ruin it for us freeloaders hehehe :P. Its a great idea to free up space and organize everything. But going through 50+ users... :O. Crazy lolz.

Maybe it would be a good idea to ask what the users are running on there server. Maps,Models,Sprites,Gfx,Plugin versions. Lolz lots of work haha I'm digging my own grave :shock: since I'm one of the freeloaders. O wellz... If you wanna organize it for everyone, Awesome! :up:

Re: Help with free download space upload.
 

You don't like it to be a per user basis? I think that would still be the best option possible if you want to keep your users' files the way they want it to be.

Re: Help with free download space upload.
 

Well if you were to begin doing this you could make the new users use your little stockpile and that way they won't have to d/l a differing map with the same name. But I do understand the problem.