Explain FTP to me.

cooljammer00

I am not sure how FTP works, or even what it does.

Help me H&A, you're my only hope.

Doc

File Transfer Protocol. It allows you to host files on a remote machine and retrieve them from anywhere, provided you have the machine's address.

Grimm

Wikipedia wrote:

FTP or File Transfer Protocol is used to transfer data from one computer to another over the Internet, or through a network.

Specifically, FTP is a commonly used protocol for exchanging files over any network that supports the TCP/IP protocol (such as the Internet or an intranet). There are two computers involved in an FTP transfer: a server and a client. The FTP server, running FTP server software, listens on the network for connection requests from other computers. The client computer, running FTP client software, initiates a connection to the server. Once connected, the client can do a number of file manipulation operations such as uploading files to the server, download files from the server, rename or delete files on the server and so on. Any software company or individual programmer is able to create FTP server or client software because the protocol is an open standard. Virtually every computer platform supports the FTP protocol. This allows any computer connected to a TCP/IP based network to manipulate files on another computer on that network regardless of which operating systems are involved (if the computers permit FTP access). There are many existing FTP client and server programs.

That should get you started in the right direction.

Taximes

Obligatory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FTP

Functionally, FTP is a way for you to transfer files between computers. Often, you download an FTP client (such as SmartFTP or CuteFTP) that allows you to do so. Then you can connect to another computer - say, a server where you have a website - and either upload to or download from it. If this was indeed a server that you had a website on, you would probably need to have an FTP account (username/password) to access it. You would probably also have the ability to create accounts for others, and even restrict what they could access and do.

If you need to know things from a more technical aspect...Wikipedia can help you.

cooljammer00

so if i were to use FireFTP or something like that, it wouldnt just work on its own? I'd need some sort of dedicated server to upload to, yes? It's not like magic.

Grimm

For a ftp client program, might i suggest http://filezilla.sourceforge.net/

saint2e

Yes, cooljammer. It's a Server/Client architecture.

You setup a FTP Server to serve up files, and you use an FTP Client to connect to the server.

Doc

cooljammer00 wrote: »

so if i were to use FireFTP or something like that, it wouldnt just work on its own? I'd need some sort of dedicated server to upload to, yes? It's not like magic.

Right. If I wanted to access my files from anywhere, I could set up an FTP server on my home desktop, then use an FTP client on a laptop to log in and get the files.

Grimm

Doc wrote: »

Right. If I wanted to access my files from anywhere, I could set up an FTP server on my home desktop, then use an FTP client on a laptop to log in and get the files.

Which is really nice when your at school and remember you left a file on your desktop at home. I carry a a little 512 mb usb thumb drive on my belt with a ftp client on it. All i had to do was run down to the computer lab, plug in, and download my files from home.

cooljammer00

but wouldnt that potentially leave your computer open to teh haxors, and whatnot?

Smasher

You have to have the right login/password to gain access to your computer. Assuming you have a good password, running an FTP server shouldn't leave you any more vulnerable to hackers than just having your computer connected to the internet.

blincoln

Smasher wrote: »

You have to have the right login/password to gain access to your computer. Assuming you have a good password, running an FTP server shouldn't leave you any more vulnerable to hackers than just having your computer connected to the internet.

Except that with standard FTP, you're sending your username and password in plaintext across the internet.

If you're going to put an FTP server on your home PC, I would highly recommend only putting a specific folder on it that normally has no files in it, and is read-only for FTP access (IE you can only download files, not upload them). Only put specific files in it that you are going to want to download.

Doing something like making your entire c: drive available through FTP, or giving write access is asking to have it abused by people storing porn and pirated software.

cooljammer00

the main reason i even posted here is that I have some videos i want to show my friend, but they are big and it would take too long to send them on aim, and i was trying to think of a faster way to send them.

Smasher

cooljammer00 wrote: »

the main reason i even posted here is that I have some videos i want to show my friend, but they are big and it would take too long to send them on aim, and i was trying to think of a faster way to send them.

As far as I know AIM doesn't cap your upload speed. Sending a file over AIM is slow for most people because most broadband connections have much higher download speeds than upload speeds, so it'll take you a while to send the video no matter how you do it.

How big is the video and how far away is your friend? It might be easier to burn a CD and give it to him if he's relatively close.

cooljammer00

yeah, i might just have to burn them. it was more a casual thing.

"hey man, did you catch Scrubs this week? It didn't suck."
"this mythbusters was awesome."

etc.

cooljammer00

oh, so does the server computer have to be on at all times?

for example, using the school-home example, would I have to leave my home computer on in oder to retrieve files off of it?

devoir

Use a USB thumb drive for that kind of thing. Fast, high capacity, small and no need to 'waste' DVDs for one-time uses.

To access files, the server computer has to be on when you make the request.