Has anyone used Dropbox to host files for Policies?

[jstine]

We use dropbox for business and have basically unlimited file storage on dropbox. I've been experimenting with using dropbox to host files (zipped DMGs and other random files) to deploy to remote machines using a curl command and simple scripts with the dropbox download links.

Has anyone else tried this? So far I've had pretty good success pushing smaller files and packages. Just wondering if anyone else has had luck using this, found any downfalls, etc.?

[Chotipradit]

While not exactly Dropbox, we've been using Box as a main depository for our policy files and our local file server as a backup. Files range from small scripts to big deployments like Office and Adobe products. No real downfalls that we've noticed since we've been doing this way beginning this year.

[davidacland]

We tested using Dropbox, Box.com and a few others. Small files seemed ok but we had issues when we went over 1-1.5GB. Downloads would start, then get stuck at random points. Not every time, but the issue was fairly consistent.

Switching to our own configured apache https service worked fine.

[alexm]

Dropbox is blocked in China..

Works OK apart from that.

[reelmike]

I also was curious about the same method (Dropbox + curl) and was told by a colleague who works for Dropbox (and is a Mac Admin) "Huge files after enough downloads from different IPs via public/shared links will get rate limited".

I work for an audio company that uses HUGE software instruments, and Casper Admin loves to choke on all of those, so I too was looking for a work around on these larger deployments....

[reelmike]

Ah, here we go, straight from Dropbox themselves:

https://www.dropbox.com/en/help/4204

"Dropbox Pro and Dropbox Business accounts: - The total amount of traffic that all of your links and file requests together can generate without getting banned is about 200 GB per day. - There's no daily limit to the number of downloads that your links can generate."

It does go on to say that Dropbox can disable links at will if they find that the limit was exceeded....

[bradtchapman]

It's easiest if you can use a cloud hosted provider that supports WebDAV.

Dropbox doesn't have that, but Box.net does. If you have a Box Enterprise account, there should be no rate limiting or throttling. The only downside is the individual file size limit of 5 GB.

We have an instance of the Jamf server in the DMZ, and Macs all over the world could potentially request software via Self Service or have it pushed to them via policy. In our system, Box.net is configured as a standard file distribution point. We have the Box client installed on a dedicated Mac, which periodically synchronizes from the master distribution point using a Carbon Copy Cloner job. You could do the same with Robocopy and a Scheduled Task on Windows.

[bradtchapman]

To give you an idea of how well it works: the in-place upgrade to macOS Sierra is about 4.72GB, so it just barely fits under the 5GB limit imposed by Box.net. I brought my company MBP 2015 home for the weekend, launched Self Service, and started the in-place upgrade via Wi-Fi through a 60Mbps cable connection, totally off the VPN. The upgrade was a complete success and it took about 90 minutes.