UDPcast is a specialized, open-source file transfer tool designed to send data simultaneously to multiple destinations across a Local Area Network (LAN). The Core Problem It Solves
When a network administrator needs to deploy a large file—such as a 10 GB operating system disk image—to an entire classroom or data center of 50 computers, standard methods like FTP, SSH, or NFS create a bottleneck. These standard methods use unicast communication, meaning the server must send 50 separate copies of the data, multiplying the time and bandwidth required by 50.
UDPcast solves this by utilizing UDP multicast. The server broadcasts a single stream of data packets onto the network, and every target machine listens to that exact same stream at the same time. Consequently, installing 50 machines takes the same amount of time as installing just one. How UDPcast Works
UDPcast splits its operations into two simple command-line components:
udp-sender: Runs on the source machine hosting the file or disk image.
udp-receiver: Runs on all target machines waiting to accept the file.
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