Looking for any heads up for large attachments in mail sending

[Ron Vecchi]

I've used System.Web.Mail before but have never had the need to send
attchemnets through it...until now.
A client of mine would like a form on the website to allow a user to type up
a message and upload a file. I'm staying away from mailto links.

So the file and message will be uploaded to the server when the user clicks
send. The new file and message will be processed and emailed from the
server to my client.
I'm tring to get any "heads ups" from any one who has delt with sending
emails with large attachments(20mb) programmtically.


What I am thinking is that the user clicks the button and waits(...) from
the post to the server to be made.
Then open a new thread that will send the email out(letting the user
continue on browsing the website without waiting for the email to be sent
off the server).

So to me It seems that..
-------------------------
1) I have to make sure the new thread doesn't expire befor the email is
sent.
2) The thread is completely independant of the parent thread(that is the
page request should not wait for a response from the new thread)
2) Make sure the shared host allows large attchments.(webhost4life)
3) Any thing else you fellow .net people can add.......



Thanks,
Ron Vecchi

 

[Nicole Calinoiu]

Ron,

Umm...don't do it. <g> For large attachments, a better approach would be to
send an e-mail that includes a link to download the file from the web site.

HTH,
Nicole

 

[Ron Vecchi]

Sounds like a good idea, but could you explain why this would be bad.
The use of this module will be very minimal with low traffic. And will
likley never see concurrent use.

I hosting account were on has minimal server storage and if a handful of
files are saved then we could run over.
Paying for more storage is not an option because of budget.

 

[William Armstrong]

Receiving a 20MB email is generally bad news.

The attachment encoding will increase this size too, so that 20MB will turn
out to be an email in the region of 30MB. That will slow down the mail
servers, and may well fill up your recipient's mailbox, causing their other
incoming mail to bounce.

That's before you think about people who collect their mail via dial-up.
One of our techs sent an 11MB software update to everyone in the company one
time. That was fine for people who were based in the office, but all the
guys on the road were shafted, every time they went to collect their mail,
it choked on that attachment.

Linking to large files is definitely the "polite" way to send them.

Will.

 

[Ron Vecchi]

I'm convinced, although the emails are expected to be large by the client
(CAD files and other manufacturing design files). The system is intended to
allow for these types of files so my client can quote them. But the
definate possiblility of over shooting the mailbox limit is still there.

Gonna go with the email link.

Thanks

 

[Michael Pearson]

Another thing you have to think about is the inital uploading of the 20MB
file. I've never tested it, but I suspect that you'd get some sort of
timeout when using a <input type="file"> control, unless you increased the
default asp.net timeout beyond the default.

Just something to think about.

Michael

 

[Ron Vecchi]

Yes, i've expanded the limit before in a different application to 10mb I
think in the web.config. SHould be the same for 20

Thanks