Which is faster and why: One big file or split the big file into chunks, then transfer it over the Internet

internetspeed

Let's say I have a file that's 10GB and I want to transfer it over the Internet. Will it be best and fastest if I split the file into many smaller files and send it, then reassemble it after transfer, or just send the one large file without splitting and reassemblement?

I was thinking of using ftp, but is there a better solution to this?

Best Answer

Comment 4 in Ron’s answer is vitally important and dominant for long distance data copies over tcp. You just can’t fill up a large bandwidth pipe with a tcp socket over a long (or even medium) distance. If you are copying a large file long distance one approach is to split and use multiple tcp sockets.

Another approach is to use file transfer software designed for that task. Such software either optimizes the tcp window size or uses udp. There are both public-domain and commercial options available (but specific recommendations are off topic).

Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway. — Andrew S. Tanenbaum

Related Topic