Comments on: Take a Number http://enthusiasm.cozy.org/archives/2007/12/take-a-number-2 Ben Hyde Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:59:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: epc http://enthusiasm.cozy.org/archives/2007/12/take-a-number-2#comment-96383 epc Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:00:19 +0000 http://enthusiasm.cozy.org/archives/2007/12/take-a-number-2/#comment-96383 I tried this once, I set up a system where the primary server responded with a Refresh header in the HTTP block (not a "meta refresh"), which had a 0-30 second delay followed by the primary URL again, polling until the load had dropped on the download server. Then the primary would return a 302 redirect to the newly freed download server. There were some problems with this though: although web browsers had no problems dealing with the Refresh: header, users seem to be conditioned to download starting automatically and would either close the window or do a shift-reload, starting the queuing process over again. Also, non-traditional browsers or command line tools didn't seem to support Refresh: in the HTTP headers and would never reload the URL. I tried this once, I set up a system where the primary server responded with a Refresh header in the HTTP block (not a “meta refresh”), which had a 0-30 second delay followed by the primary URL again, polling until the load had dropped on the download server. Then the primary would return a 302 redirect to the newly freed download server.

There were some problems with this though: although web browsers had no problems dealing with the Refresh: header, users seem to be conditioned to download starting automatically and would either close the window or do a shift-reload, starting the queuing process over again. Also, non-traditional browsers or command line tools didn’t seem to support Refresh: in the HTTP headers and would never reload the URL.

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