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In my server logs I noticed random sets of IP's originating from china that are downloading the same file of about 16MB every couple of hours, and every time the computer downloads it, it starts the download twice, one second apart from each other.

Currently I'm not authorized to rename the file as of yet until I manage to get a hold of the people authorized to use the file to rename it, so renaming the file will not be a solution for me at this time.

Also, I don't want to just block IP's for a period of time because the IP's could be computers of legitimate users that are temporarily hijacked.

Is there something simple I can do to stop this from happening, or do I have to rewrite half the apache server myself with more of my own programming?

Mike -- No longer here
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Unfortunately there is no way to prevent a file from being download twice in parallel. The HTTP protocol is stateless and as such each and every request is considered its own request for the file and the web server does not track file requests referenced against other requests for the same file.

If this becomes a substantial issue then the only way to combat it is to deny access to your server either through a firewall or through htaccess rules from the offending IP address(es).

Chris Rutherfurd
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