FTP Basics
[ Home ] [ Back] [ Next ]
Information on the using the FTP protocol

Introduction 1. Introduction
FTP Client Software 2. FTP Client Software
File Transfer Overview 3. File Transfer Overview
Uploading 4. Uploading
Downloading 5. Downloading
Binary and Text Transfer Modes 6. Binary and Text Transfer Modes
Mirror FTP Sites 7. Mirror FTP Sites
Security 8. Security
Resources 9. Resources

1. Introduction:-
File Transfer Protocol is the standard which allows files to be moved across the Internet, from any computer to another. A large percentage of Internet activity involves transferring files via FTP.

2. FTP Client Software
An FTP Client is an application program you install on your local computer which is capable of interacting with remote FTP servers. Currently popular FTP client programs include Fetch for Macintosh and WS-FTP (Winsock File Transfer Client) and CuteFTP for Windows.

These programs have a relatively easy-to-use graphical interfaces which simplify the FTP process. In earlier Internet days, one had to type in a series of UNIX text commands (similar to DOS) in order to communicate with a remote file server. UNIX is an operating system that played an important role in the early development of the Internet. Many current Internet servers are still UNIX-based.

You can connect to an FTP server with a Telnet client and give commands line by line. However, it is much easier and safer to transfer files with an FTP client Application.

3. File Transfer Overview:
Files can be transferred in two directions: from a remote computer to a local computer (also referred to as get, receive, or download), or from a local computer to a remote computer (also referred to as put, send, or upload). To access the remote computer, a login ID and password are usually required. However, many sites provide an Anonymous FTP facility, which allow anyone to login with the ID "anonymous", and their "e-mail address" as a password. These are "public archives", with files placed in public directories, and only downloading is allowed. One feature common to many FTP Client's is the ability to to 'resume' a download that did not successfully finish. Handy for those with dialups that get disconnected! Other additional features include: multiple file transfer; a queuing utility; the scheduling feature; an FTP find utility; a synchronize utility; and for the advanced user, a scripting utility.

4. Uploading :
To upload HTML documents follow these steps:

Step I) Acquire an FTP Software client.
To anonymise your connection run it via SocksCap32.

Step II) Connect and log in via FTP
Different graphical FTP programs will vary somewhat in their interfaces and menu layouts, but are generally similar enough that the following instructions will apply. Every FTP client will have a place (a dialog box which automatically appears, or a menu selection which brings up such a box) where you enter information regarding which server on the Internet you want to hook up to. You may have to hit a button labeled "Connect" in order to get this box to come up. When you have found this box in your particular client, there are three crucial pieces of information needed to log you in to your account as the account owner. They are:

  • Host Name = ftp.somewebsite.com
  • Username = your_somewebsite_userid
  • Password = your_somewebsite_password

Other settings to watch out for "Anonymous Login" checkbox - Some FTP programs have a checkbox labeled "Anonymous Login", or something similar. You want to be sure that this box is unchecked. Having this box inadvertently checked will cause your client to log in as an anonymous user instead of the account owner, even if you have entered your your_somewebsite_userid userid and password in the appropriate places.

Initial Directories - Sometimes having values in boxes which specify Initial Directories can cause your connection attempt to fail. It is best to leave these boxes blank, or delete any default values which you may find there.

Host Type - Generally "Auto-detect" is a safe value to have as the Host Type, but if it doesn't work use UNIX.

With these settings in place, click the Ok or Connect button to connect to somewebsite.com

Step III) Changing to the www directory
Once you are logged in to the somewebsite FTP server you will see a listing of all of the files and directories in your home directory, usually in a list box on the right. Next click on the www directory listed in the box with the other directories (most FTP clients have 4 lists boxes, these are usually the 2 top ones) and click on Change, or double click the directory.

Step IV) Moving files back and forth
Now you should be in your www directory under your home directory. The next step is to locate your files on your computer in the left set of list boxes. Select the files you wish to upload in the local machine list boxes on the left portion of your screen. Next, click the Copy, Transfer or arrow button to upload your files.

5. Downloading :
The procedure for retrieving files from your account is the same as uploading you just select the source and destinations in different list boxes.

6. Binary and Text Transfer Modes :-
If the Registry has been deleted by accident or is corrupted in some manner, you may not be able to start Windows at all. Here's a possible solution:-

After it happens:
There are two main modes of file transfer: binary and text. In binary (or raw data) mode, the bit sequence of the file is preserved exactly. (A bit is a binary digit , i.e. a 1 or a 0 - this is the low-level language that all data must ultimately be expressed in for computers to understand). The original and copied file are exactly identical in binary mode. However, in a text transfer, files are treated as sets of characters. The source and destination machines try to ensure that the characters have the same meaning on both machines. Since different Operating Systems (OS's) may store particular characters differently, some conversion may be required (e.g. so that an "A" in the original is still an "A" in the copy). Thus, the original and copied file may be not be bit-by-bit identical. A text transfer is sometimes referred to as an ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) transfer.

Transfer Method
Your FTP Client will have an option to determine which method to use to transfer your files to the server. There is usually a Check Box to click. You should be able to use the "binary" method for your html files, images, and sound files. But only have to change it to the "ASCII" text method to upload a cgi program file, which needs to be sent as ASCII text in order to execute properly. Basically, if one does not work, try using the other... or try auto. If nothing seems to work right, contact your web host and see which method they want you to use.

7. Mirror FTP Sites :-
Mirror FTP sites are those that copy the contents of other FTP sites. They serve two purposes: firstly, they make it faster for their local users to obtain the files they mirror, as users do not have to connect to distant servers; secondly, they help to reduce bandwidth traffic as people do not have to keep transferring popular files from distant servers. Always look for what you want in local FTP servers before venturing to connect to distant ones.

8. Security :-
To anonymise your connection to your chosen ftp server. Use SocksCap32 and a socks proxy to sockisfy your FTP Client. The SocksChain application will allow you to chain two or more socks proxies together to further anonymise your connection. Some ftp clients have a dialog box for entering your proxy.

Anonymity Checking Methods

  • Method 1.
    Disable the proxy option in your browser and then run your browser through sockscap32. To do this highlight your browser in the "Application Profile" listbox and "Click" the "Run Sockisfied!" button, in SocksCap32 this will launch your browser and is a valid alternative to simple 8080 proxies for browsing the net. Now visit a proxy checking site and if you are anonymous, you should see either the domain name/url or the ip number of the socks here. If so then the socks has nym status, else try again.
  • Method 2.
    When connected to a FTP server (select one other than the one you intend to upload/download from) open a MS-DOS window and type: netstat -a If you can see the name of your ftp client followed with the IP/Name or your Socks proxy:1080 instead of the IP/Name of your ftp.somewebsite server:21 (or ftp) the connection is properly being made through Sockscap.

9. Resources :-
FTP Clients:

Home Back Next