About the Dropbox...
Email messages with large attachments can wreak havoc on email servers and end-users' computers. Attachments above a certain size, usually one to ten megabytes, are prohibited by many email systems. Use the Dropbox Service to temporarily make a file (or files) available to another user across the Internet, in a secure and efficient manner.A TxDMV user is allowed to create a drop-off that is to be delivered to anyone, whether he or she be a TxDMV or outside user. Non-TxDMV users are only allowed to create a drop-off that is to be delivered to a TxDMV user. That prompts the question: what is a drop-off?
drop-off: one or more files uploaded to the Dropbox as a single entity for delivery to a user
There are two ways in which a user can dropoff multiple files at once:
- Attach each file individually on the dropoff page
- Archive and compress the files into a single package and attach the resulting archive file on the dropoff page. There are many ways to archive and compress files:
- Windows users can use WinZip
- Mac users can select the files in the Finder and Create an archive (see the File menu)
- Linux/Mac/Unix users, give the tar utility a try
When a user creates a drop-off, he or she enters some identifying information about himself or herself (name, organization, and email address); identifying information about the recipient (name and email address); and chooses what files should be uploaded to the Dropbox. If the files are successfully uploaded, an email is sent to the recipient explaining that a drop-off has been made. This email also provides a link to access the drop-off, as well as the 16-character passcode that the user must enter to gain access. Other information (the Internet address and/or hostname from which the drop-off was created, for example) is retained, so that the recipient can verify the identity of the sender.Making a Pick-up
There are two ways to pick-up files that have been dropped-off:Please note that the uploaded files are not subject to all the same filtering as email, so the recipient should exercise as much caution in downloading and opening them as is appropriate. This can be as easy as verifying with the sender mentioned in the notification email that he or she indeed made the drop-off. One can also check the Internet hostname/address that was logged when the drop-off was created, to be sure that it is appropriate to the sender's Internet domain; IP addresses can be faked, though, so the former identity verification is really the most failsafe.When viewing a drop-off, the user will see quite a few things:
- All users can use the claim ID and passcode provided in the notification email message to access a specific drop-off.
- A TxDMV user, once logged-in to the system, can display a list of all drop-offs waiting for him or her in the Dropbox. Once logged-in, an inside user is able to access drop-offs without the need for the passcode.
The recipient has 21 days to pick-up the files. Each night, drop-offs that are older than 21 days are purged from the system.
- The sender and recipient information that the sender entered when the drop-off was created
- The Internet hostname and/or address from which the drop-off was created
- The list of files that were uploaded
- A list of pick-ups that have been made
Size Limitations on Uploads
Dropoffs may not exceed 1.0 GB per file, or 1.0 GB total for the entire dropoff.If you are having the following issues when dropping-off or picking-up a large file:
- Your browser reports a bad or broken connection after downloading a significant portion of the file
- An error page is displayed that indicates you dropped-off no files
Based upon the original Perl UD Dropbox software written by Doke Scott. Version 2.0 has been rewritten in PHP5 with an extended feature set by Jeff Frey.