HTTP Reload

After the HTTP downloads have been banned it came to the attention that many legitimate users need them. Quite a few of those sit behind company firewalls which don't cooperate on FTP ports and can do nothing about it. After some discussion, it was decided to enable the HTTP downloads once again.

Of course, a way had to be found to prevent the same issue about HTTP load from coming up again. Now, there is a way.

The main point is that the Apache 2.x server is not being used anymore on this site. Instead, the site is a web-application running on a servlet container Apache Tomcat. While Apache 2.x gave no easy means to restrict the number of concurent downloads, or the bandwidth, Tomcat makes it possible to do so through Java programming.

It has been decided to allow downloads over HTTP first. Then a replacement for the Tomcat's default servlet must be programmed which will take over the delivery of certain files in the download area. This servlet should behave like the default servlet would, with the option to enforce few restrictions. It is my hope that the bandwidth won't be misused too much until this servlet is finished. If I prove to be wrong, the HTTP downloads will be redirected to FTP until the servlet is ready.

This opens a new softbit project, HttpDownloadServlet, which will be announced in the zlatkovic.com news when the time is due.

Webmaster, 19. May 2004