Website hosting support - FTP configuration

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a type of protocol supported on the Internet that allows you to easily transfer files from your computer to another computer. To use FTP, you need the address of a server that supports FTP and a client software package that supports FTP running on your computer. FTP allows uploading and downloading of files to users with valid logins to the FTP site. If you do not have a valid login to the FTP site, you can use what is called the anonymous login. Anonymous logins are available on most FTP sites and allow anyone to login to the site with limited access. When using an anonymous login, downloading is usually allowed but uploading is not. To use the anonymous login, login to the site as anonymous, or just ftp, and use a password of your entire email address. There are thousands of FTP sites around the world where you can download free archives of journals, programs, images, etc. via anonymous FTP.

You can download files from an FTP site through two methods: ASCII (plain text) or binary (machine language). Certain FTP software packages require you to set the transfer type when installing the package, so be careful not to download a software program as a text file.

You may have noticed that sometimes you can download files from the Internet by clicking a FTP hyperlink (one that starts ftp://) in your browser. This is because the browser by default is set to start an anonymous FTP session when it detects a certain file extension such as .zip or .exe. However this is a quick and dirty way to download files and it doesn't provide for all the features that a dedicated FTP program does.

Since FTP is most commonly used for posting pages or programs on your own Web site directory on the server, and for that, or for access to materials at special sites, you need a regular username and password.

• WWW Browsers as FTP Clients
  A WWW browser is the easiest to use and most common type of FTP client. To access an FTP site, use the URL ftp://ftp.site.name instead of http://www.site.name. The browser automatically performs an anonymous login to the FTP site and places you in the initial directory. This directory can be changed by clicking other listed directories. To go back a directory, click the back button on your browser. Simply click the file you wish to download and the file will download onto your computer.

• Third-party FTP Clients
  A third-party FTP client provides the most power and flexibility for performing FTPs. With a third-party FTP client, you can upload and download files and manipulate the transfer type. Most third-party FTP clients use a graphical interface that shows the directory structure of the Remote Server and the directory structure of your computer. Within the client, navigate to the download directory on your computer and the source directory on the remote server. Set your transfer type to binary or ASCII and choose the download option. The two most common PC-based third-party FTP programs are Cute_FTP and WS_FTP. Both are windows and mouse applications so that you do not have to write command lines at a prompt as in older FTP processes. Both WS_FTP and Cute_FTP have two-window versions which list the files on your own computer in a window on the left and the files in the remote computer in a window on the right.
  If you are using a Macintosh or other Apple computer you may have to download Fetch - the Apple-based FTP client - if it is not already provided with your computer. The principles of FTP are the same even if the operating system is different.

ls - lists the files located in the current directory ("dir" also works sometimes)
cd directory - changes the current directory (similar to DOS)
cd .. - goes back to the previous directory (make sure to add the space)
pwd - shows the current directory
lcd local\directory\path - changes your local directory
hash - sets a marker that shows when downloading files
bin - sets the transfer mode to binary
get filename - starts the download process
quit - ends the FTP session

FTP Setup

There are a few critical things that your FTP program needs to know before it is able to transfer files.

• Host Name: This is the FTP address of the site to which you wish to connect. In the case of Netwood, it is ftp.netwood.net for individual users with a subdirectory, or if you have a virtual server it's ftp.yourdomain.com.
• Host Type: The type of computer you are trying to connect to. If you leave the setting at "Autodetect" the FTP program will try to determine the host type for you and succeed almost all of the time. If not, however, you can try the other types listed or send an e-mail inquiry to the site administrator to find out.
• Port: The standard access port number for FTP is 21, is preset, and works for Netwood, although if you have other sites that are behind a "firewall" (one way of protecting servers from unauthorized access--at AOL, for example), you may have to change this number to reflect the actual port that the particular host uses for FTP.
• Initial Remote Directory: This is the directory on the "host" or server where you want to end up. At Netwood we configure the login such as you will automatically connect to your directory based on your username and password. So with us you don't have to set this variable.
• Initial Local Directory: This is the directory on your own computer to or from which you wish to transfer files. You can leave this blank and the program will automatically select the directory in which your FTP program is, or, if you are doing Web uploading, for example, you can specify the directory on your own computer where you keep your Web pages.
• Username and password: If you are connecting to Netwood, your Netwood username and password will work. If you are connecting to another site that requires username and password, you will have to use your username and password for them. If you are using anonymous FTP, type in anonymous as your username and your full e-mail address as your password.
• File Transfer Types: There are two file transfer types--ASCII and binary. ASCII is used for plain text files like HTML web pages and binary is used for other files like programs and images that have been compiled into binary format. If you send a binary program as ASCII, it won't run, and if you send ASCII files as binary, they will display in distorted format. Both Cute_FTP and WS_FTP have an "Autodetect" option that will try to determine the file type for you.

Cute FTP Setup

Cute_FTP has a very convenient "Site Manager" that allows you to save data for connecting to an FTP site. Once you have configured connection information for access to your site, for example, all you have to do to connect is click on the site's name in the site manager. To set up a session:

• Click on the FTP drop-down menu (furthest left on the top menu bar)
• Select Site Manager (first drop-down menu item)
• In the Site Manager Window, select the folder "Personal FTP Sites", which I think is already built in, or if it is not there, select "Add a Folder" and create the name of a folder in which you want to place your connection information for web sites that you manage and double click on the folder to open it.
• Beneath the Site Manager's right window, click on the "Add a Site" button. This will get you a profile "FTP Site Edit" (see below) in which you add the information you need to connect.

1. Site Label: Any name you wish to use for the site you are managing.
2. Host Address: The name of the remote host. In the case of Netwood, it is www.netwood.net.
3. User Name: Your user name for the remote host site. If you select anonymous for the login type below, this will be overridden. You can leave it blank if you have selected anonymous for the login type.
4. Password: Your password for the remote host site. If you are using anonymous FTP for the site, you can leave this blank if you have enter your e-mail address in the FTP, Settings, Options submenu e-mail box.
5. Login Type: If you need a username and password for your site, check Normal. If you do not, check Anonymous.
6. Transfer Type: The default transfer type. ASCII is text files, and Images is binary. Suggestion, keep Autodetect selected if you will be making a variety of types of transfers. You can always change this item back and forth with the Transfer Type item of the FTP menu.
7. Initial Remote Directory: The directory on the host where you wish to end up. In the case of Netwood, it is ftp://www.netwood.net/. When you get to this directory, you will get an "access denied" message. Just use the Change Dir on the right mouse button menu and change to /~yourdirectory.
8. Initial Directory: The full pathname of the directory on your own machine where you want to start.
9. Port: The access port for the remote host. This is preset to 21. Leave this as is unless the remote host specifies another port.
10. Retry: The number of times you want the program to retry connecting if you can't get through to a highly trafficked FTP site. Don't worry about setting it for Netwood.
11. Delay: The time interval between connection attempts. Used for highly trafficked remote sites. Don't bother setting this for Netwood.
12. Max Safe Index Size through Autorename: These are advanced options that you can leave set as is. Read help screens if you want more information.
13. Host Type: Normally Autodetect will discover the kind of host computer you are trying to connect to, so leave it here. If not, try the other options, or ask the FTP site maintainer.
14. Comments: Any comment about the site you want to enter.

WS FTP Setup

Like most other programs these days, WS_FTP and Cute_FTP have extensive help screens and you can click various buttons and look up the help for them in order to learn more advanced features of the program.