Multiple file downloads

[kirtisingh]

Hello,

I am trying to serve files through PHP for only authenticated users. Files are stored in a different path and the website is on the different path

Say filepath is /filepath
and webpath is /webpath

My script works fine. I am using the following code to serve file. I am only putting a cross section over here
<?
header("Content-Type: application/octet-stream");

header("Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=\"filename\"");

header("Content-Length: filesize");
readfile(/filepath);
?>

Now the problem is with the multiple downloads. Say a user types
/webpath/phpfile?file=file1
and then immediately types
/webpath/phpfile?file=file2

The file2 with not start downloading until file1 has downloaded or the file1 download has been cancelled. This problem I faced both with IE and Firefox.

Thinking it to be a browser problem, I also tried URL rewriting technique, where in /webpath/files, I made a .htaccess with following
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^.*$ filehandler.php

So now the webpath became /webpath/files/file1. Even in this case file2 would'nt download until the file1 has downloaded.

Any suggestions or ideas.

Bye

Kirti

[konsu]

did you try to navigate to two different download urls from two different browser processes on the client?

[kirtisingh]

I am able to download same file simultaneously and also different files simultaneously by using different browsers.

Kirti

[konsu]

this is not a problem on your server then.

[kirtisingh]

I can not pin point the problem right now. What I think is the issue is with the way Apache sends PHP file's output to a same client for a same scripts. I'll do a small experiment and then update you later.

Kirti

[kirtisingh]

I did a small experiment to see how apache send out PHP data.

I made a small php script with following code
<?
sleep(20);
echo "done";
?>
lets call it sleep.php

If we are to call this scripts from same client and same browser multiple times simultaneously, it will take another 20s for the output to come. Same we open 4 windows.In window A it will take 20s, B 40s, C 60s D 80s. But if B, C, D call same code from differently named scripts, they all will take 20s. BUt this is not happening so in case of file-serving.

Any clues

Kirti