If your web host limits the amount of storage space you can use on your server for hosting images then Cloud Files from Rackspace can help by allowing you to host your images on a CDN (content delivery network) rather than your own hosting server.
Rackspace Cloud Files support is fully integrated into Pixaria Gallery and Pixaria AssetDeck and once you've input your API key into the General Settings control panel in the Pixaria admin area, you can choose to import files to the Rackspace CDN at the time of import.
Before using Cloud Files, please be sure to read the frequently asked questions below as there are some limitations and caveats to using a CDN with Pixaria.
What are the system requirements?
Rackspace Cloud Files integration requires that the 'Curl' extension for PHP is present and enabled and works best when 'open_basedir' restrictions are off. Cloud Files support will not work when 'safe_mode' is enabled in PHP.
It is also important to note that URL based file access must be enabled in PHP as it is required for some functions related to accessing Rackspace files. URL based file access allows PHP to open files over a web connection as if they were stored locally.
Why is uploading to Rackspace Cloud Files slow?
Using Rackspace Cloud Files is inherently slower than the standard upload process because files have to be uploaded to your server, resized and then uploaded from your server to the Rackspace system which can take a little while to do. The speed depends on the network connection from your server to Rackspace's data centre but will always be slower than a local upload and import.
Does using Rackspace Cloud Files affect my bandwidth usage?
For the initial upload, bandwidth requirements for using Rackspace Cloud Files will be higher than for local uploads because resized images have to be transmitted to the CDN (content delivery network). After initial import files are hosted from the CDN and so there is reduced bandwidth impact on your server.
The only exception to this is if you have watermarking enabled as this requires images to be re-downloaded from the CDN to your server for the watermarks to be applied.
Can I organise files in the Rackspace Cloud Files CDN?
No. When files are uploaded to Rackspace, they aren't stored in folders in the conventional sense because internally the Cloud Files system doesn't support folders. Because of this, Pixaria uses the Cloud Files system's own internal file identifiers which are long strings of text and numbers that don't have any meaning outside of their system.
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