Is there a way to download something over network when it's downloaded by another PC in the network?

Question

We have 4 PCs connected to each other. We all download our apps through Internet which uses our Internet bandwidth. Is there a way to share downloaded softwares through network to prevent others from downloading the same thing through Internet.

Answer 1

From my understanding to your question, it is possible to prevent or notify users from re-downloading same apps that have been already downloaded by other users from the same local network.

There are many ways to be notified about those apps. Hereby, I can only suggest a general solution because you didn't mention or provide more details about your requirement; for example you forget to mention what OS's are running on those computers!, what things you can do and you cannot do!...etc. Thus, I'm going to suppose that you have 4 computers whose OS's are Ubuntu (maybe same assumption goes for Windows). For example I'm running Ubuntu and my room-mate has Windows 7, we have the same local network. We had the same problem as yours but we were downloading same movies twice not apps. So my room-mate asked me whether I could fix this problem and I did.

Suggestion 1:

As you might know, I had to install OpenSSH server on my Ubuntu and SSH-client in my room-mate's Windows 7, by doing that He could access ONLY the folder of movies that I gave a 777 permission JUST to check my Movies' list I had and to copy un-downloaded movies. If he found a movie he wanted to download, he would just copy the movie in his Windows 7 if he didn't find it on my movies' folder, he would have to download it (I would do the same, I would check his movies' folder...) , so he would not have to re-download them. In your case, I assume you know about OpenSSH Project. If you do, then you will easily fix your problem.

About notification :

I made a shell script including "notifylib" and a counter. The script works in this way; if any movie has been added to the list then notify me. (I could do as much conditions as I wanted in the script) that's it.

Suggestion 2:

Share a folder between you guys and name it "downloaded-apps." In this way, you and your friends will be able to check the folder for downloaded apps everytime before go downloading an application, if you want a notification in each computer then you can do it, however, you need to make a script by yourself and keep it running in each computer. All users will be notified whenever a new app has been downloaded.

I hope my explanation will help you anyhow. Those are only my suggestions and my personal way of "How-To-Solve" your problem, maybe your problem is bigger than that, maybe it is not what you wanted to do. Overall, I think you wanted to limit the monthly bandwidth.

Regards.