[comp.unix.questions] File Broadcast

erekose@apple.com (Erik Scheelke) (10/10/90)

We have a local area network of UNIX based PCs running TCP-IP, and I
was asked if there was any software that will broadcast a file to all
machines on the network.  I didn't know of any and was wondering if
anyone out there in netland knew of any.  If not, I guess I will have
to write something myself.  I would appreciate any infomation about
programs or algorithms that do file broadcasting.  It must use a broadcast,
not a copy to one machine then copy to another method (i.e. UDP), and
if a machine is up it must reliably send the file.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Erik Scheelke

rpw3@rigden.wpd.sgi.com (Rob Warnock) (10/17/90)

In article <45509@apple.Apple.COM> erekose@apple.com (Erik Scheelke) writes:
+---------------
| We have a local area network of UNIX based PCs running TCP-IP, and I
| was asked if there was any software that will broadcast a file to all
| machines on the network.  I didn't know of any and was wondering if
| anyone out there in netland knew of any.  If not, I guess I will have
| to write something myself.  I would appreciate any infomation about
| programs or algorithms that do file broadcasting.  It must use a broadcast,
| not a copy to one machine then copy to another method (i.e. UDP), and
| if a machine is up it must reliably send the file.
+---------------

Using the multicast features of the XTP protocol, you could do what you
want with something like the following:

        for i in $MACHINELIST
        do
		# start each receiver listening
                rsh $i 'txtp -r -s -M | tar xf - &'
        done
	# now multicast the file
        txtp -t -s -M <src_file

"Txtp" is an XTP-ized version of "ttcp", the common TCP test program.

Of course, you need XTP support on each machine...   ;-}


-Rob

-----
Rob Warnock, MS-9U/510		rpw3@sgi.com		rpw3@pei.com
Silicon Graphics, Inc.		(415)335-1673		Protocol Engines, Inc.
2011 N. Shoreline Blvd.
Mountain View, CA  94039-7311

ji@cs.columbia.edu (John Ioannidis) (10/19/90)

>In article <45509@apple.Apple.COM> erekose@apple.com (Erik Scheelke) writes:
>
> We have a local area network of UNIX based PCs running TCP-IP, and I
> was asked if there was any software that will broadcast a file to all
> machines on the network.  I didn't know of any and was wondering if
> anyone out there in netland knew of any.  If not, I guess I will have
> to write something myself.  I would appreciate any infomation about
> programs or algorithms that do file broadcasting.  It must use a broadcast,
> not a copy to one machine then copy to another method (i.e. UDP), and
> if a machine is up it must reliably send the file.
>
>

We have written a protocol we call "A Coherent File Transfer Protocol" 
(RFC number pending). The idea is that the server broadcasts packets
from a file, and all the clients grab them as they fly by. If they miss
any, they send block requests to the server. We are in the process
of polishing the reference port, which will be available from 
cs.columbia.edu [128.59.16.20] for anonymous ftp. 

Watch this space!

/ji

In-Real-Life: John "Heldenprogrammer" Ioannidis
E-Mail-To: ji@cs.columbia.edu
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