Uploading Files via FTP

[Admin]

Maybe for some time you've been using page builders or control panels on your free hosts, but there will come a moment when you will want to make file uploading easier and faster. If your host provides FTP access, you should learn how to use it.

What is FTP?

It means File Transfer Protocol. The name says it all. It's a way of transfering files to remote locations, that is - your hosting server. File Transfer Protocol, or FTP, is the protocol used to transfer files remotely from a client to a server, or from a server to a client.

Using FTP, you can transfer files in ASCII, Binary or Automatic modes depending on the type of file you are transferring. FTP is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for your use. Each domain has its own FTP space.


Step 1: Software

There are various free and commercial software out there for you to use. I found some useful links for downloading free FTP clients, so you don't have to look for them

AceFTP
CoreFTP
FileZilla
FTP Commander
FTP Explorer
SmartFTP

Step 2: Connection

When you installed the FTP client, open it. The program will probably pop-up a window with some fields to fill. What every connection needs is:

• Server IP / URL - this is either a set of numbers, something like 65.17.284.295 or ftp.yourhost.com or similar.
• Username - it's the username you chose when you applied for hosting
• Password - it's the password you chose by yourself, or was given to you by your host

Other fields are usually optional. Click the "Connect" button and you're on it

Step 3: Uploading / downloading

This is very similar to using Windows Explorer or some similar sortware. The files on your computer are usually shown on the left side, while your remote host is shown on the right side. You must select the files from your computer to be transfered, and then click on the button "Upload" - usually an arrow pointing to the right, or pointing up.

This depends on the software you chose. Sometimes you must right-click on the file and select Upload - this works if you have multiple files selected, or even folders too.

When you started upload, you should see some words and numbers scrolling across your panel, which means the uploading of files is in progress. Once the panel seems still, the upload is complete. By entering your remote adress (the host should have given you this, it can be

http://username.somehost.com/ or http://www.somehost.com/username/)

in your web browser, you should see your website looking exactly as it did on your computer.

Downloading files is exactly the opposite - You chose files from your remote server, and then click the arrow pointing on the left (or down) or right-click and select the word Download.

File permissions - CHMOD

You usually won't need this, but if you decide to use some scripts that use files to store data, it's important to set the permissions to write. The way it's done probably slightly differs from client to client, but usually you can right-click on the file/folder and choose Properties.

I suppose now a small pop-up opened, containing some radio buttons and one textfield containig a numeric value. You can set the permissions by clicking on radio buttons (saying Read, Write and Execute) or by entering the number in the textfield. If you're using a script you should usually CHMOD to 666, but that's probably stated in the instructions for that particular script.

Leavinf files or folder CHMOD to 777 "can" be a security risk, consult all script documentation and only leave files/folders as 777 if totally necessary.

[Admin]

WS_FTP - Software

WS_FTP allows you to easily transfer files from your computer to your web space on our servers.

How to set up WS_FTP:

First you need to create a connection entry for your site. You can create the entry using the IP address for your site, or by using ftp.yourdomain.com if your domain name is active on our system. Type in the appropriate username and password for your account. Note that you can save your password by checking the "Save Pwd" box - remember to change your password here if you change your password via your control panel!

Once you've entered that information, click the Startup tab. Here you can set the directory where your files are located on your pc by specifying that directory in the "Initial Local Directory" field. Please note that the slash direction is important when entering these paths.

A short explanation of the folders for your account:

When you FTP to your account, or when you view a list of files and folders from the File Manager on the control panel, you will see certain system-created folders for your use. These folders should not be deleted when maintaining your account: public_html, www, and cgi-bin. In addition, if you install FrontPage extensions on your account, the _vti* folders should be added to the list. Deleting these folders could leave your site inaccessible until support can restore them or recreate them.

Uploading files:

Uploading files with WS_FTP is easy. From the left hand pane (your computer), select the file you wish to upload. To select multiple files for upload, hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard and click on each file you wish to send. Once you have selected the files you wish to upload, click the arrow that is pointing to your web space.

Important! While many times, the upload method you choose will not affect the appearance of those files, for some files, the file type is very important. Image files (.gif, .jpg, etc.) should be uploaded as Binary only. If images are uploaded in ASCII format, they may appear distrorted - or they may not appear at all - when your page is viewed. When uploading CGI scripts in particular, it is imperative that the instructions for that script are followed exactly. Failure to upload in the manner prescribed by the instructions can result in your CGI scripts not functioning properly.

Changing permissions on files and folders:

You may find that you need to change the permissions on a folder or a series of files. Many CGI scripts require certain settings for the files that the script uses - for instance, the instructions may direct you to "chmod 755" a file, or "change permissions to 755". WS_FTP makes setting permissions easy.

Right click on the file or folder whose permissions you wish to change, and select chmod (UNIX). The numbers indicated after a chmod command refer to values that are assigned to the owner, group, and others. Each number represents the sum of the values assigned to Read, Write, and Execute:

Read - 4
Write - 2
Execute - 1


Adding the numbers for each column above gives you the setting. After clicking OK, the appropriate permissions will be assigned to the file.

To download WS_FTP (Pro or LE), for more information, or for extensive support documentation on WS_FTP, please visit Ipswitch.com.

[Admin]

CuteFTP - Software

CuteFTP allows you to easily transfer your web page files from your computer to your web space on our servers.

How to set up CuteFTP:

First you need to create a connection entry for your site. You can create the entry using the IP address for your site, or by using ftp.yourdomain.com if your domain name is active on our system. Type in the appropriate username and password for your account. Note that your password is automatically stored for you - remember to change your password here if you change your password via your control panel!

Once you've entered that information, click the Edit button. Here you can set the directory where your files are located on your PC by specifying that directory in the "Default Local Directory" field. Please note that the slash direction is important when entering these paths. Click OK to save these settings.

A short explanation of the folders for your account:

When you FTP to your account, or when you view a list of files and folders from the File Manager on the control panel, you will see certain system-created folders for your use. These folders should not be deleted when maintaining your account: public_html, www, public_ftp, etc, catalogs, mail and cgi-bin. In addition, if FrontPage extensions are installed on your account, the _vti* folders should be added to the list. Deleting these folders could leave your site inaccessible until support can restore them or recreate them.

[Admin]

Ace FTP

How to connect to a site and how to do transfers?

To connect to a site, you need to create a connection from aceftp to that site and enter all connection information such as server, username and password.
To create a connection:

• click on File -> Connection
• select New Site Profile
• and enter information on:
  username
  password
  server info.

To transfer your file to your server:
Select the connection you created to the server. Double click.
You will see on the right hand side of the window your server.
You can make transfer by selecting files you want to transfer and press on the arrow pointing to the right that is located in the middle of the aceftp window.

How to enable/disable PASV mode?

To do so:

• Go to the ‘Properties’ of the site connection
• Select the ‘Transfers’
• Check the ‘Use outgoing (PASV) Connections’ to enable the pasv mode
• or Check the ‘Use incoming (PORT) Connections’ to disable the pasv mode

Resume function.

When you download a file and a smaller file with the same name and it already exists locally, there is an option to resume the transfer. The dialog that pops up to say that there is a file collision presents you with options: Resume, Overwrite, Rename, Skip, etc.

Also, the server needs to support file resuming via the REST command. If not, then it won't be possible to resume downloads or uploads. The user should check in the "Server Features\Unsupported Features" section of the site properties dialog whether there is a checkmark next to "Resume of broken transfers" (if so, he should remove the checkmark and try again).

My transferred images are not well displayed.

The mode of the transfer may be the reason (if it is ASCII). Change the transfer mode for 'AUTO' from 'Tools' / 'Default transfer mode'.

How do I back up all my ftp files with the passwords so I can re-install later in case of a crash?

All your created ftp connections are located in this repertory: C:\Documents and Settings\your_user_name\Application Data\Visicom Media\AceFTP\Sites

Copy them on a CD and restore them in the same repertory on the other computer or do a drag and drop when the aceftp is launched.

Why does the folder change in the left column when I change folders in the right column? It hasn't done that in the past.

You probably enabled the "Lockstep folder navigation" option, and should just disable it. The button is on the centre column just below the 2 Copy buttons.

How can I check the size on the disk of my distant server with AceFTP 3?

To know exactly the size of your Web site on server with AceFTP, the software has to scan all existing repertories. For a big volume Web site, this can take forever to do, so this option does not exist within AceFTP or FTP Expert for the moment..

When transfering, the filename changes its case (uppercase or lowercase).

There is an option for this. In the Connection properties, select 'Conversions' and change options in 'Download' and 'Upload'.

How to configure Windows XP firewall in order to enable AceFTP?

There are two ways to enable AceFTP:
Enable programs by using the Security Alert dialog box
1. Click on Start / Panel configuration
2. Click on the Security center icon.
3. In the Security Alert dialog box, click on 'Windows Firewall'.
4. Select 'Exception' tab and check AceFTP from the list.
Click OK.
Enable programs by using Windows Firewall
If you do not click Unblock the program in the Security Alert dialog box, the program continues to be blocked. To enable a program by using Windows Firewall, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Run, type wscui.cpl in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Click Windows Firewall.
3. In the Windows Firewall dialog box, click the Exceptions tab, and then click Add Program.
4. In the Add a Program dialog box, either select the program from the list that appears, or click Browse to locate your program.
5. After you select your program, click OK.
6. On the Exceptions tab, make sure that the check box next to your program is selected, and then click OK.

There is an option for this. In the Connection properties, select 'Conversions' and change options in 'Download' and 'Upload'.

Why the filesize is smaller when uploaded?

It's perfectly normal to have different file sizes when it comes to ASCII files.


When you upload a file from your Windows computer to a Unix computer, the size of the file will be reduced of exactly 1 byte per line in the file (except for the first one).

Why? Because Windows encodes the line return on 2 bytes, while Unix encodes it on 1 byte... so when the file is transferred, it loses one byte per extra line. The contents of the file itself remains unchanged.

I want to setup AceFTP to use encription. How do I setup AceFTP to use an SFTP (Secure FTP) connection?

You should open the site properties dialog for the site in question, and then:

• Firstly you should make sure that the SFTP protocol is selected on the Protocol page (in the Profile tab).
• On the "Connection -> Security (SSH)" page you can enter the path to your keys if keys are provided. (private key file is usually with .key extension, or no extension at all).
  Note: if you have a firewall, make sure that it is not blocking the secure connection.

How to configure an FTP connection to the firewall proxy?

You can configure your connection to the firewall by going to the ftp connection. Here are the steps:

• Click on menu File / Connect
• Double click on the ftp connection
• Click on menu Site/ Edit the ftp connection properties
• Click on Connection
• Select Firewall
• Uncheck the case 'Use property class default value'
• Then you need to configure the firewall according information you have.

Error messages

Error message: PASV 227 Entering Passive Mode - Operation timed out / Connection aborted.

You need to settle the passive mode to off because the server does not support the PASV mode.
To do so:

• Change the ‘properties’ of the site connection
• Select the ‘Profile’ and then ‘Server features’
• Check the ‘PASV mode’

Error message: 425 cannot open data connection.

The 425 error means that the data channel is blocked or closed between you and the server you are trying to connect to.
For Active connections open ports 20 and 21
For Passive connections, open ports 21 and 1024+ (and higher)
If you still cannot get a successful connection, check all devices that are between the client and server to ensure that the proper ports are open (e.g. routers).

Error message: 550 permission denied or 550 access denied.

The 550 error is a message from the server stating that the account you have currently logged in as does not have permission to perform the action you are attempting. You may be trying to upload to the wrong directory or trying to delete a file. You have to contact your ftp site administrator and ask permission to be able to transfer your files.

Error message: 500 'FEAT': command not understood.

The FEAT command is a command sent to the server to see what features are supported. The "500 'FEAT': command not understood" error is not a critical error and should not interfere with your transfers.
Try disabling the Feat command and see if it helps:

• bring up your site properties
• click on Server Features under Site Profile
• Check Extended Features Queries (FEAT)

Error message: 426 Connection closed; transfer aborted.

To solve this problem,

1. Change the "properties" of the site connection
2. Select the "Profile" and then "Server features"
3. Uncheck the "PASV mode"

Error message: 553 Could not create file.

The file name is not allowed. Try changing the file name, or getting rid of spaces in the file name.

Error message : 530 Login or Password incorrect.

This error occurs when the server doesn't recognize the login information. An incorrectly entered username or password is usually the most common reason this error occurs. Make sure your login information was entered correctly.

If you have a firewall, disable it and try to connect to your ftp connection. If it is the source of the problem, configure your firewall to accept the aceftp program.

Error message: 421 No transfer time out.

To keep the connection for a number of seconds

The ftp server is set to log you off at a set amount of idle time.

There is an option to send random commands to the server every x seconds in an attempt to keep the connection open.
See the 'Connection \ Keep-Alive' section of the Site Properties dialog.
In the ' Keep-alive interval' section,
select ' Use custom value',
and enter in seconds the time you want the connection to be kept alive.
However, many servers disregard these commands and will disconnect the user anyway since they only consider actual file transfers when determining the idle period. The maximum idle period and reset commands are up to the server administrator to configure. Let me know if you need more information.
To re-create the FTP connection can solve the problem sometimes. Do not delete your connection, just create the same connection under a different name.
To keep the connection alive without interruption

See the 'Connection \ Keep-Alive' section of the Site Properties dialog.
In the ' Sending of periodic commands to keep the connection alive:' section,
check 'Enabled'

Error message: Host not found.

1. Verify that you entered the correct information for the ftp connection:
   - user name
   - password
   - server host
   - if your server provider is not temporarely down.
2. Re-create the connection, it sometimes solves the problem.
3. If you have a firewall, it might give you this trouble. Allow the aceftp program from your firewall.

CHMOD settings: every transfered file has changed default CHMOD setting to 644.

The default CHMOD setting (the value assigned to the file when it is first uploaded) is controlled by the server, not AceFTP. AceFTP can manually change the CHMOD value, but it will never do it automatically.

Error message: No connection

These problems may cause this error:

1. Firewall problem:
   If you have a firewall, disable it and try to connect to your ftp connection. If it is the source of the problem, configure your firewall to accept the aceftp program.
2. Server problem:
   You need to settle the passive mode to off because the server does not support the PASV mode.
   To do so:
   • Change the ‘properties’ of the site connection
   • Select ‘Profile’ and then ‘Server features’
   • Check the ‘PASV mode’
3. Protocol configuration problem:
   From the site properties, 'Profile' tab, 'Serveur identification' section, check out that 'FTP' is selected in the 'Protocol' case . If it is not selected, uncheck 'Use property class default value' and change the Protocol to FTP (File Transfer protocol).

My zip files are not transferred correctly. It becomes impossible to read them after.

Make sure that you transfer the zip files in binary mode:
You can change your transfer to Binary mode via the "Tools -> Default Transfer Mode" menu item, select 'Binary'.
You can proceed from the "Transfers" page of the "General Preferences" dialog also.