One of the Groklaw commenters asserted how FTP and even "TCP-IP" are prior art (OK, he corrects himself to say they are listed as 'related art' - whatever.) But the commenter is missing the fact that the patent discusses distribution of smaller parts of the file by "spraying" it around. FTP and HTTP can transfer large files, but your HTTP client doesn't download a single large file in small chunks from several servers.

The more accurate prior art are the methods for transmitting large files via usenet: split large file, uuencode parts, distribute parts to several usenet hosts (where there's also some kind of negotiation about swapping parts between hosts.) Finally client obtains, decodes, and reassembles those parts.