German developer HELIOS Software GmbH announced on Wednesday that HELIOS WebShare, a server solution that uses a Web browser interface for easier remote file transfers, is now shipping.
WebShare’s Web browser interface optimizes file upload and download times because it doesn’t require additional WebDAV, FTP, AFP, or SMB/CIFS connections that normally impact transfer speeds. Downloads are compressed on the fly with HELIOS’s “zipstream” technology. It also enhances collaboration by allowing multiple users to view and access the same server data over an Internet connection.
WebShare provides security by featuring two tiers of access: A WebObjects server that handles authorization requests and a file server, which is not connected to the Internet, that provides access only to the files and directories that user has permission for. Administrators can easily customize the HTML user interface and add or modify actions with any host scripting language.
The application complements the company’s EtherShare tool, which is a UNIX-based network file and print server solution for Macs, and works with HELIOS ImageServer and HELIOS PDF HandShake by providing remote previews of PDF, QuarkXPress, and InDesign documents, as well as all major image formats, including TIFF, JPEG, PICT, BMP, PNG, and others.
WebShare requires WebObjects 5.2, which is not part of the application but is included in Mac OS X Server. In addition, the WebObjects server requires Java 1.4.2 runtime. The file server requires Mac OS X Server and 32MB of RAM, with 2MB per active client. The client requires Mac OS 8.1 and up, including Mac OS X.