How to use the Project Resource Center

Connection speed and download time

The Project Resource Center is not designed for sharing large files with users that have slow Internet connections. Web servers are designed to automatically terminate an upload session or download session if it appears that "nothing is happening" or that the transaction is taking too long. This measure protects the web server from overload and ensures that the limited bandwidth is available to all users as they need it. As a result, users with slow Internet connections may not be able to download very large files.

The Project Resource Center extends this cut-off time to a generous 5 minutes. Users that have a slow connection and are trying to download a large file may have problems if the time needed to download exceeds 5 minutes. The size of the file that can be uploaded or downloaded in this time depends on many factors such as network or ISP load, Internet traffic, etc., but mainly depends on the type of Internet connection used, as the following table shows:

Connection	Effective speed bytes/sec	Upload time			Download time
		500 KB file	10 MB file		500 KB file	10 MB file
DSL/Cable Modem	40,000	12 sec	4 min		4 sec	40 sec
T-1 line	120,000	4 sec	1 min		4 sec	1 min
All figures assume 10 bits per byte, 80% network efficiency, and zero connection latency

Here are some guidelines that you can use to ensure the best experience for yourself and other users:

1. Keep the other project team members' Internet connections in mind. While you may have a fast Internet connection in your own office, uploaded documents will only be useful to members that can download them in a reasonable amount of time.
   
   
2. Keep file sizes to a minimum. Remember that no matter how fast a project team member's connection is, a small file downloads faster than a large one.
   
   
3. Optimize documents. Many applications save "undo" information, change histories, and more, which all contribute to the size of a document. Some applications will dramatically reduce the size of a file if you use the application's "File... Save As..." function to save a cleaned copy of the file. Consult the documentation for each application you use for additional information.
   
   
4. Reduce or eliminate large graphics from your documents. A one-page Microsoft Word document might be larger than a 100-page document, if the one-page document contains a very large graphic. Web designers and programmers usually optimize graphics to make them as efficient as possible. Document authors haven't traditionally had to think in those terms before, but the idea of sharing documents over the Internet makes this an important issue. Ask for help from an experienced graphic designer on optimizing graphics before you insert them into documents.
   
   
5. PC/Windows users can find the size of a file by clicking on the filename with the right mouse button, then choosing "Properties." The number in parenthesis next to "Size" is the actual size of the file.
   
   
6. Apple Macintosh users can find the size of a file by selecting it (single-clicking on the file) in the Finder, then choosing "Get Info" from the "File" menu (or by pressing Apple-I).
   
   
7. Very large files can sometimes be efficiently compressed into smaller files using popular commercial applications such as WinZIP, PKWare's PKZIP, or Aladdin's StuffIt. If you do compress files, other end users must have software allowing them to expand the compressed file before they can use it. WinZIP, PKZIP, and StuffIt all have free expander programs available for download. Consult the PRC administrator to determine which, if any, of these programs have been approved for this project.
   
   
8. Extremely large files may best be sent via commercial carrier on a Zip disk or CD-ROM.