Windows 7: Network aware download manager

Hi,

My ISP has off peak hours of 2am to 8am. Several of us want to set up downloads to occur during this time. Rather than have every onstall their own download manager, I would like to set one up on my server that collects download requests from each PC (ie. network aware, sharing the same download list).

The server runs Windows XP.

Anyone know of a network aware free download manager (I've had a look at DAP, FDM, and GetRight and none of them did what I wanted).

Any ideas?

thanks
Tanya

Actually, Getright does have a client / server mode. One of the PCs is set to be the server, and the other PCs are set to be clients. When a client adds a download to the list it sends a message (?) to the server, which does the download, which can be scheduled.

Exactly what I am looking for.

Problem is GetRight doesn't seem to be actively maintained and from what I can find and reading the forums, it's still very buggy.

So does anyone know of another product that does the same thing?

Is there a WHS addon that works the same way?

Program doesn't have to be free.

errr... also, I think this post is in the wrong area.. probably should have been in the software forum. Sorry about that :-)

thanks
Tanya

Um, just from another admin you may want to check in to scripting the install of a download manager you like that can have the times set. That way you dont have to have the very specific cache the request to server than it downloads at sometime. That way A you dont have to worry does the server have enough room, will they need to xfer it from some directory on server, etc. If you use something like PowerShell Scripting or Kix you could script the installer with the command line options and answer file, set your script and viola it will connect to each computer copy the setup package [with the settings like times to perform downloads, place to store downloads, etc. already specified]. FYI if you want to script Windows Updates you can setup your own WinUpdates server and change the related server/port setting in each machines registry [include script in Win Installs and you can copy it to all machines already installed so you can cache all Win updates to your server and have clients download from it instead of M$ [this would also allow you to do any quality control testing for issues and bugs BEFORE you release it on your users and things go south].

If you do it this way [script the install of a download manager you like then A you are not restricted by an option that is not found in but VERY few managers, B you still have control over all the settings and all clients are set the same, you could set read-only on the programs folder [where the settings file is not its download directory] so the users would get denied if they tried to change any settings you could set read-only on just the settings file and not the dir if needed].

[QUOTE=AmbrosialPariah;1343060]I suspect this is not going to achieve what it is I am trying to achieve. I'm not trying to download M$ updates specifically. Could be any download. And I'm not trying to push anything to the clients.

The problem is electricity is extremely expensive here in melbourne. Rather than have 5 computers running all night, I only want to have one - the machine we use as a server.

Right now I get out of bed at 2am each morning and power up each persons computer. If there are downlads I start them. Then I have to get up again and shut down the computers again. I'm not getting any sleep.

Using a centralised download manager means I can get one machine to perform all downloads, whatever they are. There are no space issues. No security issues.

[QUOTE=Tanyam;1343731]Well I was just saying for M$ updates as well not like thats one or the other. If that is the case, for the short term it may seem odd.

Have you checked in to virtulization or thin clients [you could have one Sevrer running and employees all use dumb terminals they all get a Windows desktop and it all runs as normal except they are actually getting all their info from a server [kinda like remote desktop, but better] that way you only power one main server [make sure it has all the green HDs, PSU and all to save as much power] then the thin clients are all housed there and it is only thing runni9ng [when employees leave they power off their terminal but session can still run on server and od whatever all night and shut it down when done, or I found a nice manager: Internet Download Manager Features: reliability, high speed, and 24h support I think it has central server if not

Try setting schedules, like have comp a come on [or comp group a whatever] fires up at 9p download manager auto-starts, downloads and you set the option to shutdown when it completes all downloads and viola no need for you to wake up and bethere at 2a but same exact thing is happening anyways. [I believe the manager has scheduler for turning machines on when it is time to download [or use Windows Scheduler and set a time for the machine to come up and set download manager to shutdown on completion]. I know you want a central server method but keep in mind if you need things like user account info to access the download or it uses CAPTCHA or has a landing page between the URL and the actual download that would be a very difficult set of instructions to be passed to a sedond computer to then carry out later. I understand electricity being at issue and if you save enough using your method I would just strive to automate that first and SERIOUSLY check in to virtualization and thin clients [Shoot you could even check out Yahoo and Google's most recent data center designs [they build them like chicken coops] that way normal circulating air can handle the cooling of alll their equipment and has cut their electricity by something like 60% so if you guys have an AC server room you could check in to Green building options to offset with the design, solar and wind power, and then you could sell power back to the grid [especially if one of your peaks i in the evening after work when folks get home like it is around here between like 6 - 8p when the building is not in use and all the stored power could be sold back at a premium!. Anyways hope all that helps

I really appreciate all the suggestions and help you are offereing, but we're getting away from the original need. This isn't a business. THis is a home network.

Getting into Citrix type environments is not what I'm after.

The server is always on. I am able tell it to to power off on a schedule, or based on activity. That's not the issue. Having 4 people with 4 machines running all night to do downloads from their computers is the problem.

I'm looking for the ability to have a program installed on a central machine that does downloads. Exactly like what Free download manager, flashget, getright, Internt Download Manager and others do (segmented downloads, acceleration, pause/resume, scheduling and so on).

The added feature is a client/server type mode that allows me to install this program on a central machine, as well as every client. Instead of the downloads being done on the client, they are done by the central machine, which just collects the downloads and starts the downloads at 2am

Getright has this function but the pogram seems to be poorly supported, full of bugs an not actively maintained. It's a pro feature so I can't try it unless I buy it.

None of the other programs I've tried seem to support this feature in the free versions. The home pages of the apps are all very scant in what features their products really have.

If I could get hold of the record formats of the download queue/list files, I could write a VB app to do it myself.

Tanya