- From: Anthony Bryan <albryan@comcast.net>
- Date: Wed, 08 Aug 2007 06:16:18 +0000
- To: ietf-http-wg@w3.org
Everyone's been waiting for this :), a Firefox extension that supports downloading with Metalinks. DownThemAll! 1.0 Beta came out last month and is available at http://www.downthemall.net/ -- (( Anthony Bryan ... Metalink [ http://www.metalinker.org ] )) Easier, More Reliable, Self Healing Downloads -------------- Original message ---------------------- From: albryan@comcast.net (Anthony Bryan) > > Hi, > > I posted about Metalink a few months ago [1], and it no longer repurposes the > fragment identifier like Link Fingerprints. > > Metalink is an XML format that lists multiple ways (FTP/HTTP/P2P/rsync) to > retrieve files, along with checksums and other metadata. It is mostly used by > download managers. Around 21 programs have Metalink support. > > "Metalink solves the first problem — how to find the most speedy way to download > a file — by grouping different download protocols into one protocol. This > enables Metalink clients to automatically switch between different mirror > servers without explicit user instructions. Not only multiple server information > is described but also meta-data (e.g., the location of the server, document tags > and license)." [2] > > Metalink is not restricted to just HTTP, but Lisa Dusseault suggested I post > here, looking for "expressions of interest in the basic concept, and volunteers > to help with the work (at the very least, reviewers)." I would like to turn this > into an IETF publication. > > Some basic features the information in a metalink can be used for: > - Listing multiple mirrors for higher availability. > - Automatic error recovery and repair of corrupted downloads. > - More information about a download for users. [3] > - Add a file or multiple files to a download queue. > - Share a library of files between filesharing applications. > - Simplified download pages. > > An example .metalink: > > <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> > <metalink version="3.0" generator="Metalink Editor version 1.0.0" > xmlns="http://www.metalinker.org/"> > <publisher> > <name>Xi Software</name> > <url>http://www.xi-soft.com/</url> > </publisher> > <identity>Net Transport</identity> > <version>2.43</version> > <copyright>2005-2007</copyright> > <description>Net Transport (NetXfer) is a downloading tool.</description> > <files> > <file name="NXSetup_multi.zip"> > <size>2014232</size> > <os>Windows-x86</os> > <verification> > <hash type="md5">18148ed6dc0fc6a48f345579f099d6bd</hash> > <hash type="sha1">01586b2c0ec5d8e985138204404878f5ecbeef58</hash> > <pieces type="sha1" length="262144"> > <hash piece="0">ce50319f58e846e3e0c66a9ada9015e601126864</hash> > <hash piece="1">c9e73e336831a364cedcd889259b7330d48f90fd</hash> > <hash piece="2">a7f5281c629ea63c791f320db3b0df85fdb01861</hash> > <hash piece="3">e6cf5571185db0ec79b551222596462db445bdd6</hash> > <hash piece="4">8982e850d2e3ea005119beea3cc05daca28de474</hash> > <hash piece="5">a0e7a3a3a46f1ae5fb4eb8529b6fb8ee82fa43a8</hash> > <hash piece="6">96540cfade1ce9d3846f41510fbed46965b29568</hash> > <hash piece="7">87108128d4dde5ba62ffec1f1cc3fc292fc298ca</hash> > </pieces> > </verification> > <resources> > <url type="http" > preference="100">http://www.xi-soft.com/downloads/NXSetup_multi.zip</url> > <url type="http" location="gb" > preference="100">http://nettransport.abangadek.com/NXSetup_multi.zip</url> > <url type="http" location="hu" > preference="100">http://www.axitech.hu/nettransport/downloads/NXSetup_multi.zip< > /url> > <url type="ftp" location="cn" > preference="100">ftp://nettransport:nettransport@202.107.248.221/NXSetup_multi.z > ip</url> > </resources> > </file> > </files> > </metalink> > > For more information: http://www.metalinker.org and > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metalink > > Thanks, > -- > (( Anthony Bryan ... Metalink [ http://www.metalinker.org ] > )) Easier, More Reliable, Self Healing Downloads > > [1] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/ietf-http-wg/2007AprJun/0039.html > [2] > http://www.geospatialsemanticweb.com/2007/02/25/metalink-unifies-internet-downlo > ads > [3] http://code.downthemall.net/maierman/metaselect4.png >
Received on Wednesday, 8 August 2007 06:16:32 UTC