Transferring large files

Supersized

© Andrey Armyagov, 123RF.com

© Andrey Armyagov, 123RF.com

Article from Issue 147/2013
Author(s):

Various alternatives let you work around pesky size limits when transferring a file from point A to point B.

Here's the situation: You want to store a large file on a USB memory stick, but the attempt fails even though you have enough space. In this case, you have very likely hit the limits of the filesystem on the medium you are using. The possible causes are a full File Allocation Table (FAT) – the directory for the disk contents – or reaching the maximum number of blocks per file.

For compatibility reasons, many manufacturers supply your media with the VFAT or FAT32 filesystems, and you might not notice for a long time that they limit the size of a file. Both can store files up to a maximum of around 4GB; however, you can transport larger files from one computer to another in other ways.

Variant one involves transferring the data over a network connection, variant two compressing the data, variant three formatting the disk with a different filesystem, and variant four splitting the file into several chunks and, subsequently, re-assembling on the target system.

[...]

Use Express-Checkout link below to read the full article (PDF).

Buy this article as PDF

Download Article PDF now with Express Checkout
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
Print Issues
Digital Issues
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Print Subscriptions
Digital Subscriptions

Related content

  • File Transport

    Various alternatives let you work around pesky size limits when transferring a file from point A to point B.

    more »
  • Shredder_9_Chess_Too..>

    Rsync lets you synchronize your data – on either a local or remote computer. You can even use Rsync with SSH to encrypt your data.

    more »
  • GFTP

    Whether you like your file transfers with a GUI or from a command prompt,

    GFTP has the right tool for every job.The GFTP client also supports advanced

    features such as secure file transfer with SSH.

    more »
  • The Kitchen Sync

    Unison is a handy tool for file syncing, backups, and merging. To get the most out of unison, however, you need to invest time perfecting your preference files to meet your needs.

    more »
  • Compressing Files with RAR

    The non-free RAR compression tool offers some benefits you won't find with zip and tar.

    more »
comments powered by Disqus
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters

Support Our Work

Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

Learn More

News

Tag Cloud

Administration Community Desktop Events Hardware Linux Mobile Programming Security Software Ubuntu Web Development Windows free software open source