FTP - File Transfer Protocol

The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is an Internet service that allows you to move files between two computers on the Internet. Because the FTP standard uses arcane commands, such as put , get , and cwd, the FTP client application, WS_FTP95 LE, was created to give Windows users an easy-to-use interface to execute these commands.

One of the primary uses for an FTP program like WS_FTP95 LE is to transfer files between a Windows computer and your AU WWW server account. You might also use WS_FTP95 LE to obtain files from one of the many public FTP archives around the world.

To begin, you need to open WS_FTP95 LE and get connected to another computer on the Internet (a remote host).

• Start WS_FTP by double-clicking on the WS_FTP95 LE icon which can be found in the Programs directory on Windows computers in labs on campus. If you downloaded and installed the software, or should be able to get to it by going under the Start Menu to Programs and then find WS_FTP95 LE in the WS_FTP directory.

When WS_FTP95 LE opens, the Session Properties dialog box will be displayed. To complete a connection to a remote host you must complete three fields in this window.

For many FTP connections, you will be required to have a User ID or login and a password. This is the case when connecting to your AU WWW server account. Additionally, many public FTP servers allow you to connect using the User ID anonymous and your email address (username@hostname) as the password.

In the example below, we will open a connection to AU's WWW server called www.american.edu which contains internet files. When logging in you should use your User ID and your password assigned by e-Operations.

Host:

Specify the name of the computer you want to connect to. For example, type www.american.edu

User ID:

Type your username here. You can leave this field blank or type anonymous when making an anonymous connection to many systems. (Or, you can click the Anonymous Login check box to automatically enter anonymous as the user.)

Password:

Type your password in this field. You will only see bullet characters which hide your password from others. (If this is an anonymous login, enter your full email address. )

Account:

If the remote host requires an account, enter the account you want to use for the User ID you entered. (In most cases, this field will be left blank because most hosts do not use an "account" for authentication.)

Comment:

Enter any comments you want to include with this session profile.

• You can now click on the OK button and WS_FTP95 LE will open the connection.

• Once connected, you will see files/directories from your Windows machine on the left, and the files/directories from the remote machine on the right.

Once you have made the connection to a remote host you can then have WS_FTP95 LE transfer a file from the remote host to your Windows computer.

• If you do not have an open FTP connection, open one now (see the instructions above for more information).

• Select the file you wish to transfer by clicking on its name in the directory listing that appears on the right side of the window. Subdirectories are displayed in the upper box, while available files are displayed underneath the subdirectories.

If you need to change directories you can double click on any of the subdirectory entries to open the subdirectory. If you need to move up a subdirectory you can double-click on the two periods (.. ) which move you up one subdirectory.

You will also need to specify which directory you want the file transferred into. The local directory structure is located on the left with subdirectories on top, and files on the bottom.

• Once you locate the file(s) you want to download, and have selected the directory in which you want to transfer the file, highlight the file(s) you want, and click the arrow, located in the middle, which points from the remote machine to the local machine (right to left). WS_FTP95 LE should begin to transfer the selected file.

While WS_FTP95 LE downloads the file you requested, you'll see statistics about the file transfer's progress. When the transfer is complete you will be returned to the connection window.

• Remember to close your connection either by clicking on the Close button in the bottom left, or by clicking on the Exit button in the bottom right.

In the previous example we have retrieved files from public FTP servers. However, most of these public servers do not allow you to upload or put files on them. Therefore, for this example we will connect to your AU WWW server account to place a file into it.

One common use of WS_FTP95 LE is to upload files in web page development. If you develop web pages on your Windows computer and then want to move them to your AU WWW server account so that they are visible on the World Wide Web, you should use WS_FTP95 LE in the following way.

• Open a new FTP connection. WS_FTP95 LE will only allow one connection at a time, therefore, if WS_FTP95 LE is already open, you need to complete what you were doing, and click on the close button in the bottom left. Click on the connect button in the bottom left. If WS_FTP95 LE is not open, double-click on the WS_FTP icon commonly found in the Programs folder.

• Complete the required fields in the Session Properties dialog box. Complete the other fields as needed and click on the OK button.

Once WS_FTP95 LE makes the connection you can now upload a file from the computer you are using (either from the hard disk or from a floppy disk) to the AU WWW server you have connected to. On the right, select the remote directory where the file on your account will be stored.

WS_FTP95 LE now needs to know which file you want to upload or put on the AU WWW server. Using the browser on the left, locate the file you wish to transfer.

• Once you have selected a file (or group of files), click the arrow in the middle, that points from the local machine to the remote machine (left to right). The file transfer will begin and WS_FTP95 LE will be display progress information.

For additional help and features of WS_FTP, while inside the program, click on the Help button at the bottom.

Maintained by: webops@american.edu
Last Update: November 17, 2006