What are multi-part zip files?

As a bit of background, there is a special kind of ZIP file known as a multi-part, multi-disk, or split ZIP file. These allow a large archive to be split into multiple parts so the archive can be spread across multiple CDs or DVDs, which have a size limit. Often, the individual parts are named with file extensions such as .z01, .z02, .001, .002, etc. There's also usually a .zip file generated with the files. Below is an example of the files generated while creating a multi-part zip.


An example of all the parts created in a multipart zip with file extensions z01, z02, etc. as well as .ZIP


Note: These multi-part zip files can be created using WinZip or 7-Zip. 

Reasons to use multi-part zips

To avoid delays caused by uploading large zip files, you might want to split your zip file into more manageable sizes. The advantages of uploading a multipart zip include:

  • It helps in case of a service interruption during the upload, as you would only have to re-upload the part(s) that did not upload successfully, not the entire collection. Some large uploads, if not split, could take an estimated 8-10 hours to complete.
  • There are known issues with zip files created on OSX that exceed 4 GB, and this method is a workaround for such instances. Refer to this article for more information on this.

Uploading multi-part zips

When you upload a multi-part zip to GoldFynch, make sure you upload all the parts generated when created. Once this is done, they will automatically be processed and placed in a folder named after the zip file.


A new folder will be created containing the extracted zipped files. Just make sure to upload all the parts of the multipart zip!

Productions with multi-part zips

Typically, load file productions will come to you as a single Zip file containing the entire production set, including folders for "IMAGES", "TEXT", and "DATA", which can be uploaded into GoldFynch just like any of your other files, and once processed, the production can be queued for a production import (more information found here). If the productions are provided as multiple Zip files, handle them as you would with regular multi-part Zips.

Creating multi-part zips

Learn how to create multi-part zip files or split existing zips into multiple parts here.


Issues with/troubleshooting multi-part zips



If you try to upload a multi-part ZIP file to GoldFynch without uploading all its parts, you are likely to encounter the issue shown above. Instead of automatically processing and making the files available, the first part of the multi-part Zip becomes "Errored", stating that the file is truncated (smaller than expected). Any additional parts of the multi-part ZIP then become "Unsupported", and none of the files within the ZIP are extracted.


Solution:

  1. First, check that you've uploaded all parts. 
  2. If the issue persists, attempt to create the multi-part ZIP and upload it again (you can find instructions on how to create a multi-part ZIP below) 
  3. You can also attempt to stitch all the parts together yourself using a tool like 7-Zip. If all parts of the ZIP file are in your GoldFynch case and there is still an issue, reach out to support@goldfynch.com, and we'll help you resolve the issue.