File transfer is the transmission of a computer file through a communication channel from one computer system to another. Typically, the file is transmitted over a network between heterogeneous systems that differ in operating environments, directories, structures and character sets. The process is governed by a communications protocol, such as the file transfer protocol (FTP), transmission control protocol (TCP) or hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP).
File size and transfer rates are increasing exponentially. With 4K and 8K video coming to the consumer market, fast transfer speeds are becoming critical to ensuring files move quickly and without issue.
The CMS ePortal and other CMS external portals offer managed file upload and download services for end users. This chapter applies to all transfers between CMS data centers as well as between CMS and external partners. It does not apply to transfers within a single CMS data center, which are governed by a different chapter.
A file transfer time calculator is a great tool to use for estimating how long it will take for a large file to complete an upload or download over a specific interface. To use it, simply enter the file size, available network bandwidth or transfer rate and select units. This tool will provide estimated times based on the selected criteria and will not factor in overhead, such as requests for the information, syncs, etc. The estimated times may also be impacted by the interface not performing at its expected speed due to hardware issues like latency or disk performance. Send Huge Files