How To Create Multi-Segment Compressed Archives in Mac OSX
Sometimes it is impractical to send files via the internet. For one, most FTP servers will have problems handling files over 2GB in size, and if you try and transfer a file of that sze via an IM client it might easily fail part of the way through and you won’t be able to resume the transfer.
A quick and easy solution to this problem is to create a multi-segment archive. That is to say, compress the file into an archive and in the process split it into parts which can then be decompressed and re-assembled at the other end.
So how do you do this? You wonder. Well this article outlines one simple and easy to follow way using Dropstuff, part of Stuffit Deluxe from Smith Micro.
As Easy As Drag & Drop
Using DropStuff is super simple and can be mastered by absolutely anyone and everyone. Other than setting a couple of options it is as easy as draggng and dropping the files into the application for processing.
Once you have Stuffit Deluxe installed, open up DropStuff, this will present you with the application window and a selection of options
.
- By default the window opens in stuffit (SIT) format, which is the file format you will need if you wish to make a segmented archive.
- At the bottom of the window you will see a drop down menu containing a series of segment sizes convenient for creating archive segments that fit on various media from CD and DVD to smaller disks and pen drives. When using dropstuff for the first time the drop down will be set to make one single archive, but it is easy to change this by selecting the desired segment size from the drop down.
If you wish to tinker further, you can look under the hood by clicking the "Preferences" button in the top toolbar of the application window, or set the destination to where the segments will be saved by clicking the "Destination" button to the top right.
Encrypting the archive will provide some security, whilst creating "Index Archives" will generates files that when browsed with Stuffit deluxe installed will provide the viewer with browseable lists of files that are contained within the corresponding SITX file.
Now that you have selected the format and the size of segment, simply drag and drop the file you wish to compress and segment into the middle of the application window, on top of the DropStuff icon.
At the Receiving End
Ok, so everything you need to do is done, your file/folder is compressed and segmented and now yo just need to send it, but "what do they need at the other end?" You are thinking. The answer is: "Nothing more than Stuffit Expander."
Stuffit Expander is freeware and can be installed both on Windows, Mac OSX and Linux and can be used to expand any format from .SITX to .ZIP and .TAR or .GZIP files. When all the segments are received they just need to place and all the segmented files into a single location and then drag and drop the first file in the series of segments onto Stuffit Expander, and the rest will be done automaticall by the software.
