FTP Help?

[Majestic]

I am currently in the midst of my first ebusiness venture and things are going pretty good. However, I could use the opinion of someone more skilled than I in the area of file transfers.

The situation:

I need to be able to efficiently recieve potentially several hundreds of files from my customers. The file sizes would only be about 500 to a few thousand bytes each.

These are the solutions I came up with:

1. I could use FTP and have the files sent to my host, but I would like to have easy access to the files--like on my HD....???

2. Could I set up my own FTP system (not sure of the complexities) and have the files sent to my own server?

3. Or--the files are so small that I could just accept them as an attachment in a compressed folder? (not my idea of professionalism, but its cheap and it may work.)

So, it would be great if someone could enlighten me on the finer points of file transfers, or perhaps point me in the right direction.

Best Regards,

Majestic

 

[Mp)Tarh]

I could make a very professional looking system for you, but i need some more information first.

First of all, do the files need to be publicly accessed, or secure?
Do you want the customers to be able to perform these actions online?
Do you mind using unsigned ActiveX controls?
Do you have a FrontPage Server/ASP support?
Do you have a program to edit your server such as CPANEL or PLESK?
Is it possible for you to make a new FTP user?
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If one of these questions doesn't work very well, you should answer the following in a private message (unless your afraid im a hacker or something), as they are very private.
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This would be an ActiveX control/downloadable EXE that would ship the files, in an encrypted format, directly to your home computer, and place them in a private folder. This is a little secure to be talking about in a thread, so if you are interested, PM me saying so.

I hope this helps.

 

[adam_uk]

ez way

they zip the files up
browse with it via the browse thingy bob

the zip file is uploaded, extracted then deleted and the files are placed into a folder where you can gain access to it(maybe call the folder a unix time tamp or something like that

 

[RJ]

If the files are small, it's better to have them in a compressed archive. Dealing with one medium sized zip file is always a lot easier than trying to upload hundreds of little files.

As for the methods for your clients to upload, all three methods should work. Just check with them to see what's easiest for them.