Design & Development Of Web Based Distributed File Sharing

Service

September 23, 2014

Submitted By

Student’s Name Registration NumberAtiq Ur Rehman 11ABELT0410Usman Ali Khan 11ABELT0434

Usama Sheikh 11ABELT0442

Supervisor

Name of SupervisorDr. Syed Mohsin Matloob Bukhari

Supervisor’s Designation

Assistant Professor

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, PESHAWAR,ABBOTTABAD CAMPUS

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1 Introduction:

A file hosting service, cloud storage service or online file storage provider is an internet hosting servicespecifically designed to host user files. It allows users to upload the files which can be accessed by users onvarious platforms such as computer, ipad, tablet or smart phone through internet. Typically, the servicesallow HTTP access, and sometimes FTP access. Related services are content-displaying hosting services (i.e.video & image), virtual storage, and remote backup[1].

1.1 USES:

1.1.1 Personal file storage:

Personal file storage services are based at the private individuals offering them a sort of “network storage”for creating the personal backup, file access or file distribution. Users can upload their files privately orpublicly.Document-sharing services allows users to share the documents files usually of PDF format, WordProcessor and spreadsheets. However nowadays many services are allowing users to share and synchronizeall types of files[2].

1.1.2 File Sync and Sharing Services:

These services allow its users to create special folders on each of their computers or mobile or any otherdevices , which this service then synchronizes so that it appears to be the same folder regardless of whichdevice we are using. Files placed in this folder is easily accessible through website, mobile app and computerand can be easily shared with others. Such services have become popular via consumer products such asDropbox and Google Drive[3].

1.1.3 Software File Hosting:

Authors of different apps like shareware, freeware and open source/free software often use the file hostingservice to serve their software. The Problem that comes with free download is the huge bandwidth costand to cover this cost, companies or sites owners intentionally delay the starts of downloads and slow downdownloading speeds in order to persuade a user to buy a premium or upgrade by purchasing or paid account.

1.1.4 Storage Charges:

Space offered by the some online file storage services is based on per-gigabyte sometimes including a band-width cost component as well. These services are usually charged monthly or yearly. Some services requirea software to download and run on only those devices that have the installed software.

1.1.5 One-Click Hosting:

Sometimes it is referred to as cyberlocker. Generally it describes Web services that allow internet users toeasily upload one or more files from their hard drives onto the one click host’s server free of charge[4].Mostsuch Services Simply return a URL which can be given to other people, who can fetch the file later. Inmany cases these URLs are predictable i.e. there is no Security or privacy and it can be misused. The sitesmake money through advertising or charging for premium services such as increased downloading capacity,removing any wait restrictions the site may have or prolonging how long uploaded files remain on the site.Premium services include facilities like unlimited downloading, no waiting, maximum download speed etc[5].

1.1.6 Use for Copyright Infringement:

Files hosting services may be used as a source to distribute or share files without consent of the copyrightowner. In these cases individual uploads file to the file hosting service which other users can download.

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2 Literature Review:

In the field of file hosting and sharing, following are the main three competitors and we will use them as ourcase study.

2.1 DROPBOX:

DropBox is a web based file hosting service. It is an American service providing cloud storage, file synchro-nization, personal cloud and client software. DropBox works in a way that it allows create a special folder onthe computers of the users who want to share the data. Then synchronizes the folder. Same folder (with thesame contents) is appeared on the other side regardless of which computer is used to view it. Files placedin this folder also are accessible through a website and mobile phone applications.Dropbox provides clientsoftware for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Android, iOS, BlackBerry OS and web browsers, as wellas unofficial ports such as Symbian and Windows Phone[6].

2.1.1 HISTORY:

Dropbox, was founded in 2007 by Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi, as a Y Combinator startup company.A question asked from Drew Houston that what was his inspiration behind the idea. He replied that heneeded this type of thing badly. He had to work on different desktops and a laptop, but he had a problemto forget his USB Flash drive. Also he had to drown into the e-mail attachments trying to share files for hisprevious startup. One day his home desktop literally exploded one day which damaged the hard disk andhe had no backup. After trying many things he concluded that he should make something for his personaluse and after that he reallized it can also help other people.

OPSWAT stands for Omni-Platform Security with Access Technologies, reported in their December 2011market share report that Dropbox held 14.14% of the worldwide backup client market, based on number ofinstallations. Also shown in the figure 1[7].

Figure 1: dropbox as data backup facility

As of October 2011, Dropbox had more than 50 million registered users[8]. On November 12, 2012,Dropbox announced it had reached 100 million users[9].

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As of 26 September 2012, Facebook and Dropbox integrated to allow group users to share files to Face-book Groups using Dropbox’s cloud-based storage system. The feature allows users to directly share insideFacebook’s group pages without exiting the Facebook domain. This did not replace the built-in Facebookuploading feature, but added to it for any files that were already uploaded to their Dropbox storage account.

2.1.2 FEATURES:

• BUSINESS MODEL:

Dropbox uses a freemium business model, the users are offered both a free account and paid account. Freeaccount has a fix storage size and a paid account has more capacity. Whereas all the users are offered anbasic initial 2 GB of free online storage space. For free accounts, the total amount of traffic that all linkstogether can generate without getting banned is 20 GB per day. For Pro and Business accounts, the limit is200 GB per day.

• DROPBOX FOR BUSINESS:

Dropbox for Business is a paid service targeted for use by organizations, providing administrative controlsand auditing to IT departments while allowing users the option to create separate cloud containers for theirwork and personal documents. Dropbox for Business allows for restrictions on sharing to limit the accidentaldisclosure of intellectual property outside an organization. The two Dropboxes come with two differentpasswords. Users are able to organize different types of file in different cloud containers while viewing bothDropboxes side by side. Administrators of the Dropbox for Business account cannot access users’ personalaccounts, nor directly access data stored in users’ Business accounts unless the username and password forthe account is provided to the account administrator or the account is transferred.

• SIMPLE SHARING:

Shared folders allow people to work together on the same projects and documents. One can invite friends,family or teammates to a folder. It’ll be as if one saved the folder to their computers. See other people’schanges instantly. Create photo galleries viewable by anyone chose. Send a link to any file or folder in theDropbox.

• DROPBOX MOBILE:

Apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, and BlackBerry keeps the Dropbox at one’s hand, where internet is available.One can carry his files with him without the need of extra devices. As Laptops and specially the smartphonesare always with him. One can edit files in Dropbox from his phone. Easily upload his photos and videos toDropbox. Can share freely with family and friends.

• STUFF SAFETY:

Dropbox protects ones files without the need to think about it. It keeps a one-month history of the work. Anychanges can be undone, and files can be restored. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and AES-256 bit encryption.

2.2 Google Drive:

2.2.1 Introduction:

Google drive is file storage and synchronization service provided by Google[10]. It was released on April 24,2012. Files publicly shared on Google Drive can be searched online using search engines. As of statisticsfrom June 2014, Google Drive had 190 million monthly active users [11]. It is available in 68 languages tomake it easy to use for people across the globe.

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2.2.2 History:

Earlier, Google Docs provided with 1 GB of free storage for every user. Drive was introduced with a freestorage of 5 GB for every user when it was launched in April, 2012. To efficiently manage the availblestorage so as to provide services to more users in the same capacity, Google announced that it was cuttingthe existing free storage from all paid users’ accounts, so that a user buying a 100 GB plan will get 100 GBof total storage instead of adding up to the free storage[12].

As many users had accounts on different products of Google enjoying free storage, so it was decided tomerge those accounts and efficiently use the storage so in May 13, 2013, the company announced to mergethe storage across Gmail, Google Drive and Google+ Photos making 15 GB available to users [13]. Thestorage plans offered are exclusively charged in US dollars. Current plan rates are in 1:

Storage Price

15 GB Free100 GB US$ 1.99per month1 TB US$ 9.99per month10 TB US$ 99.99per month20 TB US$ 199.99per month30 TB US$ 299.99per month

Table 1: Storage plans

These prices are very low compared to the business competitor Dropbox.

2.2.3 Features:

• Uploading:

User’s can upload files and are provided with 15 GB of free storage. If needed, more storage can be used bybuying storage plans payed monthly.

• Sharing:

Google Drive provides a system of file sharing in which the creator of a file, is by default, its owner. Theowner is provided with options to regulate the public visibility of the file or folder. Ownership is transferableand files or folders can be shared privately with particular users having a gmail account.

• File Viewing:

The files of the following formats can be viewed online[14].1. Google Docs2. Google Sheets3. Google Slides4. Google Forms5. Google Drawings6. Image files (.JPEG, .PNG, .GIF,)7. Video files (MPEG4, .3GPP, .MOV, .AVI, .MPEGPS,)8. Text files (.TXT)9. Markup/Code (HTML, .PHP, .C, .CPP,)10. Microsoft Word (.DOC and .DOCX)11. Microsoft Excel (.XLS and .XLSX)12. Microsoft PowerPoint (.PPT and .PPTX)13. Adobe Portable Document Format (.PDF)14. Apple Pages (.PAGES)

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• Synchronization:

Synchronization (or syncing) in is the process of ensuring that files in two or more locations are updated viacertain rules. In one way syncing, source files are copied and updated to one or more target locations whilea two way syncing, files are copied and updated in either direction.

• Searching:

Advanced tools for searching are provided using file name, file type, owner name and various other filters.Search system can even recognize text in scanned documents using Optical Character Recognition (OCR)technology.

• Google Docs:

Google docs is a web based office suite integrated with Drive. It allows users to create and edit documentsonline while collaborating in real-time with other users. Spreadsheets , word processors and presentationprograms are part of the Google Docs and are named Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Slides,respectively. These applications are available as web apps, chrome apps and mobile apps for android andiOS. These apps are all compatible with Microsoft Office.

• Smart Phone Platforms:

Google Drive is available on iOS and Android. The app on Android allows users to take a photo of adocument containing text and use Optical Character Recognition to convert to text that can be edited.Most other mobile devices connect through web to view and edit files in Google Drive.

• Restore Point:

Google Drive provides users with the ability to review the history of desired file and restore an earlier versionupto 30 days back.

• Hellofax:

Integrated with Google Drive makes it incredibly easy to send faxes online. With HelloFax installed, everyfax you send with the service is linked directly into Drive. Most people need to send fax on very fewoccassions so instead of buying a costly fax machine, Hellofax can be easily used.

2.3 ONE DRIVE:

2.3.1 INTRODUCTION :

Previously it was known as SkyDrive, Windows live skydrive and windows live folders. It is a file hostingservice that allows users to upload and sync files to a cloud storage. Also we can access them from a webbrowser or their local device. It allows users to keep the files private, share them with contacts or makethe files public. Files that are shared publicly do not require a Microsoft account to access. In addition,Microsoft also offers the managed business storage as one-drive for business[15].

2.3.2 HISTORY:

When one-drive was launched it was known as Windows Live Folders at the time and provided as a limitedbeta available to a few testers in the United States. On August 1, 2007, the service was expanded to awider audience. Shortly after, on August 9, 2007 the service was renamed Windows Live SkyDrive andmade available to testers in the United Kingdom and India.As of 22 May 2008 SkyDrive was available to 62countries and regions.On December 2, 2008, the capacity of an individual SkyDrive account was upgradedfrom 5 GB to 25 GB, and Microsoft added a separate entry point called Windows Live Photos which allowedusers to access their photos and videos stored on SkyDrive. This entry point allowed users to add ”Peopletags” to their photos, download photos into Windows Photo Gallery or as a ZIP file, as well as viewingcamera information for the photos uploaded. Microsoft also added the ability to have full-screen slide showsfor photos using Silverlight.

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On june 20, 2011, Microsoft stars the user interface built using HTML5 technologies for skydrive.Theupdated featured caching, hardware acceleration, HTML5 video, quick views, cleaner arrangement of photosand infinite scrolling. It also doubled the file size limit from 50 MB to 100 MB per file. Due to this updateMicrosoft produces the different entry points for SkyDrive, such as Windows live Photos and Windows Liveoffice, into one single interface. Shared files and folders of users, including those in Windows Live Groupsare also accessible in the new interface.On November 29, 2011, Microsoft updated SkyDrive to make sharingand file management easier, as well as HTML5 and other updates. This update also allowed users to seehow much storage they had (and how much they had used), a feature that had been removed in the previousupdate as part of the redesign[16].

On December 3, 2011, Microsoft released a SkyDrive for iOS app, and a SkyDrive for Windows Phoneapp, which are available in the App Store and Windows Phone Marketplace respectively. On April 22, 2012,Microsoft released a SkyDrive desktop app for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and OS X userswhich allows them to synchronize files on SkyDrive, much like Windows Live Mesh, as well as allowing usersto ”fetch” files on their computer via the web browser. In addition, SkyDrive also provided additional storageavailable for purchase, and reduced the free storage space for new users to 7 GB (from 25 GB). Existingusers were offered a free upgrade offer to retain their 25 GB of free storage. The updated SkyDrive alsoallows files up to 2 GB in size (uploaded via the SkyDrive desktop app).The update also brought additionalfeatures such as Open Document Format (ODF) capability, URL shortening services, and direct sharing offiles to Twitter[17].

Microsoft became involved in a lawsuit with British television broadcaster BSkyB for having the word”Sky” within its name, resulting in a High Court ruling in June 2013 that the service’s brand breachedBSkyB’s trademark.On July 31, 2013 in a joint press release between BSkyB and Microsoft it was announcedthat a settlement had been reached and as a result the SkyDrive name would be dropped. BSkyB allowedMicrosoft to continue using the brand ”for a reasonable period of time to allow for an orderly transitionto a new brand”.On January 27, 2014, Microsoft announced that ”SkyDrive” and ”SkyDrive Pro” (anunrelated service affected by the court ruling) would become, respectively, ”OneDrive” and ”OneDrive forBusiness”[18].

2.3.3 FEATURES:

• STORAGE QUOTA:

OneDrive offers 15 GB free storage for new users and one can purchase additional storage.Initially, this service provide only 7 GB of storage and an additional 3 GB free storage for student for

one year. This service is built using HTML5 technologies. Files upto 300 MB can be uploaded via dragand drop into the web browser or upto 10 GB via OneDrive desktop application for Microsoft Windows andOS X.From September 23, 2013 onwards, in addition to 7 GB of free storage (or 25 GB for users eligiblefor the free upgrade), power users who required more storage could choose one of the four premium storageplans.Upon the re-launch as OneDrive, monthly payment plans, along with the ability to earn up to 5 GB offree storage for referring new users to OneDrive (500 MB each), and 3 GB if users enable automatic uploadsof photos using the OneDrive mobile apps on smartphones, were introduced[19].

In June 2014, it was announced that OneDrive’s default storage would increase to 15 GB—putting it inline with the amount of storage offered by its competitor Google Drive. The amount of additional storagefor Office 365 subscribers also increased to 1 TB. Microsoft also lowered the price of OneDrive storagesubscriptions at that time.

• RECYCLE BIN:

In OneDrive if users delete any file accidentally or by will , the service allow the user to undo the actionand restore the deleted file from the recycle bin back to the original folder. Recycle bin Data is not consideras user’s used storage limit. All items store by the service in recycle bin are available for minimum 3 daysand maximum 60 days. If the content in a user’s recycle bin exceeds 10% of the user’s storage limit (e.g.0.7GB for a user with a total of 7GB OneDrive storage limit), OneDrive will delete the oldest content fromthe recycle bin (provided that the files have been in the recycle bin for at least 3 days)[20].

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• DOWNLOAD AS ZIP FILE:

Entire folders can be downloaded as a single .zip file with OneDrive. For a single download, there is a limitof 4GB or 65,000 files (whichever comes first).

• PHOTOS AND VIDEOS:

OneDrive can use geo-location data for photos uploaded onto the service, and will automatically display amap of the tagged location. OneDrive also allows users to tag people on the photos uploaded onto the servicevia the web interface or via Windows Photo Gallery.

Photos uploaded onto OneDrive can be played as an automatic slideshow.

• APPLICATIONS:

Microsoft launched different applications for its clients i.e Android, iOS, Windows 8, Windows Phone. Theseapplications allows users to browse, view and organise files stored on their OneDrive cloud Storage. Inaddition, Microsoft also released desktop applications for Microsoft Windows (Vista and later) and OS X(Lion and later) that allow users to synchronize their entire OneDrive storage with their computers for offlineaccess, and synchronization of files and folders between multiple computers. The OneDrive desktop clientfor Windows allows users to ”fetch” the contents of their PCs via the web browser, provided the user enabledthis option; OS X users can fetch from a PC, but not vice versa. The Android, iOS, and Windows Phone 8versions also allow camera photos to automatically be uploaded to OneDrive.

In addition to the mentioned client apps, OneDrive integrates Windows 8.1 and later, Microsoft Office2010 and later, as well as the Office and Photos hub in Windows Phone, enabling users to access documents,access photos and videos stored on their OneDrive. Windows 8.1 can sync user settings and files, througheither the included SkyDrive app (whose name was later changed to OneDrive with an update).Along withthe use of reparse points, these changes allow files to be accessed directly from OneDrive as if they are storedlocally. The OneDrive app was also updated to include a local file manager. Unlike Windows 8, OneDriveuse on 8.1 requires the user’s Windows account be linked to a Microsoft account; the previous OneDrivedesktop client (which did not have this requirement) no longer works on 8.1. Additionally, the Fetch featuredoes not work on Windows 8.1 [21].

Table 2: Comparison Table of File Hosting ServicesOnedrive Dropbox Google Drive Amazon Cloud Drive

Free Storage Size 15 GB 2 GB 15 GB 5 GBMax. Paid Storage 1 TB 18 GB 10 TB 1000 GB

Max.File size 10 GB 10 GB 5 TB 2 GBDirect access Yes Yes Yes No

File expiration None None None NoneMobile App Android, iOS Android, iOS Android, iOS Android

Windows Phone Blackberry

3 Problem statement:

Our project will be designing a website which will host files of the users having accounts on the website.Primary objective is to enable users to upload files of any type as long as they don’t exceed space provided tothem. As users use different platforms, so our objective is to provide the users with access from Windows andLinux. For smart-phone users, we will design and develop an dedicated application to provide easy accessand usage. To enable users to access their files from other platforms, we will implement file synchronizationfeature so that a user’s files are up to date on all the platforms that the user is using to access files. Fileprivacy is an important feature in our project which will enable the user to keep their personal files privatewhile share the public files they want with other users.

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4 Aims & Objectives:

• Design and development of a website capable of uploading files.

• Design and development of file sharing feature.

• Design and development of synchronization of files for various platforms.

• Design and development of windows desktop application.

• Design and development of android application.

5 Research Methodology :

Main steps in this project are web development, application design and database. So following software aresuitable:

5.1 PHP:

PHP is widely used now a days for web development. PHP is a recursive acronym stands for PHP hypertextpre-processor. It is a web developing language. Where this project have a touch of website, where the datawill be uploaded automatically, we will be using PHP to develop a website.

5.2 MySQL:

In the website and application the user IDs and passwords will be provided to users. which need a gooddatabase system. Suitable software for developing a data base will be MySQL.

5.3 JAVA:

JAVA is most widely used in Android application design. It is an high level Object Oriented Language. Wewill design a windows desktop as well as an Android application using JAVA.

6 Work Schedule Plan:

Sample of work schedule is given in Table 3

Table 3: Work planActivity Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. April May June

Literature Review√ √

Study of Existing Software√ √

PHP Web Design√ √ √

DataBase (My SQL)√ √

Windows desktop App√ √

Android App Design√ √

Presentation√ √

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References

[1] A. Mahanti, N. Carlsson, and C. Williamson, “Content sharing dynamics in the global file hosting land-scape,” in Modeling, Analysis Simulation of Computer and Telecommunication Systems (MASCOTS),2012 IEEE 20th International Symposium on, pp. 219–228, Aug 2012.

[2] “Personal file storage,” in www.vis.ethz.ch/de/visionen/pdfs/2012/visionen-2012-3.pdf?end=15&start=11.

[3] “File sync & sharing,” in http://www.technologyreview.com/news/516951/how-dropbox-could-rule-a-multi-platform-world/.

[4] “One click hosting,” in http://torrentfreak.com/cyberlockers-take-over-file-sharing-lead-from-bittorrent-sites-110111/.

[5] “One click hosting,” in http://www.usenix.org/event/leet11/tech/full-papers/Nikiforakis.pdf.

[6] H. Wang, R. Shea, F. Wang, and J. Liu, “On the impact of virtualization on dropbox-like cloud file stor-age/synchronization services,” in Quality of Service (IWQoS), 2012 IEEE 20th International Workshopon, pp. 1–9, June 2012.

[7] “Market share reports,” in www.opswat.com/sites/default/files/OPSWAT-market-share-report-december-2011.pdf.

[8] “A detailed history of dropbox,” in www.forbes.com/sites/victoriabarret/2011/10/18/dropbox-the-inside-story-of-techs-hottest-startup/.

[9] “Millions of users of dropbox,” in www.forbes.com/sites/victoriabarret/2012/11/13/dropbox-hits-100-million-users-says-drew-houston/.

[10] “Google drive introduction,” in http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/introducing-google-drive-yes-really.html.

[11] “Google drive intoduction,” in www.bgr.in/news/google-drive-has-over-190-million-30-day-active-users/.

[12] “Google drive history,” in googleblog.blogspot.in/2012/09/more-spring-cleaning.html.

[13] “Google drive history,” in googledrive.blogspot.in/2013/05/bringing-it-all-together-15-gb-now.html.

[14] “Google drive file viewing,” in support.google.com/drive/answer/2423485?rd=1.

[15] “Onedrive introduction,” in http://blog.onedrive.com/one-place-for-all-your-work-files-introducing-onedrive-for-business/.

[16] Y. YuJu, W. Jing, and L. Zongying, “A study of the curriculum setup of web-page designing in multi-media major,” in Communication Software and Networks (ICCSN), 2011 IEEE 3rd International Con-ference on, pp. 254–255, May 2011.

[17] “Onedrive,” in http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.skydrive.

[18] “A brief history,” in http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/19/5422770/microsoft-onedrive-launch-bonus-storage-new-android-app.

[19] “Onedrive quota,” in https://blog.onedrive.com/skydrives-new-200-gb-plan-enough-storage-for-a-photo-every-hour-from-birth-to-graduation/.

[20] “Onedrive recycle bin,” in http://windowsteamblog.com/skydrive/b/skydrive/archive/2012/09/18/new-skydrive-recycle-bin-available-today-and-excel-surveys-coming-soon.aspx.

[21] “Onedrive application for update,” in http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/onenote-windows-81-updated-onedrive.

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