How To FTP
What
is FTP
File
Transfer Protocol, better known as FTP, is a procedure used to
upload and download files to and from your web server. FTP is
a special way to login to another Internet site for the purposes
of retrieving and/or sending files.
How
to use FTP
In
order to use FTP, you'll need to download and install a software
program on your computer. The most widely used FTP program is
WS FTP. You can find it here: http://www.ipswitch.com/Products/WS_FTP/index.html.
When
you first launch the FTP program, a startup screen will appear.
This screen will enable you to add your website information and
allow the program to connect with your server. You simply fill
in the information where indicated with the following information:
Profile
Name
- This name will be added to the selection list of profile names.
Select your profile name according to your domain. For example,
if your domain name were smiths.com, your profile name might be
Smiths.
Host
Name/Address
- Your domain name address.
Example - www.netcoservices.com
Host
Type
- The type of server in which your website is hosted. The standard
is Unix. But you can probably skip it.
User
ID
- Your hosting User ID. Example - netco123.
Password - Your
hosting password.
Depending
on which FTP client you use, the names may be slightly different.
Once
the FTP program has connected with your server,you will see the
files on your computer in the left window and the files on your
server will be displayed in the right window.
Transferring
Files
To
maneuver through your folders, simply double click on them. To
transfer your files, either double click on the file or highlight
it and then click on the transfer files arrow.
PLEASE
NOTE:
When you log in as the site administrator by ftp, it will put
you in the /users/YourName/web/ directory. You need to
go up two directory levels until you see 4 or 5 folders (depending
on your level of services) - certs, ftp, logs, users, and web.
Go into the "web" directory to publish files to your
main site.
To
select more than one file at a time, click on each file you'd
like to transfer while holding down the Ctrl key on your keyboard.
Keep in mind, all of the files you select must be uploaded in
the same mode. In other words, you could upload all of your HTML
files at the same time, or all of your images.
If
all of the files you'd like to upload are all together, you can
click on the first file while holding down your Shift key and
use the down arrow on your keyboard to highlight all of your files.
Files
such as text, HTML, and most scripts should be uploaded to your
server in ASCII mode. Any file that isn't ASCII text, such as
programs (EXE, ZIP), graphics, ebooks, sounds (WAV, MID) and movies
should be uploaded to your server in Binary mode.
FTP
Advanced Commands
When
using scripts on your website, you will be required to set file
permissions in order for your scripts to run properly on a Unix
server. The most common setting for CGI/Perl scripts is 755. When
working with scripts, you may receive an Internal Server Error
when you try to run it. Many times, this error is caused by improperly
set file
permissions.
Permissions:
- Read
- 4 - r
- Write
- 2 - w
- Execute
- 1 - x
- None
- 0 - -
-
Read permissions are enabled with the number 4 or the letter r.
-
Write permissions are enabled with the number 2 or the letter
w.
-
Execute permissions are enabled with the number 1 or the letter
x.
-
No permissions are enabled with the number 0 or a dash.
Each
of these permissions will be set for each of the following:
To
give you a better idea of how permissions are set, below is
an example of a script that requires the permissions to be set
to 755 -- it breaks down like this:
7
- Represents the permissions for the Owner (you). The owner
has been given Read, Write and Execute permissions. 4+2+1=7. This
can also be written like this: rwx
5
- Represents the permissions for the Group (individuals with
access to your server). The Group has been given Read and Execute
permissions. 4+1=5. This can also be written like this: rx
5
- Represents the permissions for the Others (website visitors).
The Others have been given Read and Execute permissions. 4+1=5.
This can also be written like this: rx 755 is equal to rwxrxrx
Changing File Permissions with
Your FTP program:
If
you would like to set your file permissions through your FTP program,
you can do so like this:
- Log
into your server and locate the directory that contains your
file.
- Highlight
the file that you would like to change permissions.
- Place
your mouse pointer over the file and right click to launch a
menu.
- Click
on "chmod (UNIX) to launch the "permissions" window.
- Set
your permissions and click on OK.
In
addition to setting permissions with your FTP program, most web
hosts will enable you to set permissions through your web page
management system.
FTP Using Internet Explorer
You can use Internet Explorer
to FTP your files from your computer up to your website. If you
try it first and it doesn't work, check your settings in the Tools
menu for "Using Web Based FTP".
Go to the Tools Menu, then
to Internet Options, and Advanced Tab: Under "Browsing",
if using Version 5.x, "Use Web Based FTP" should
not be checked as shown in the picture below on left. If using
IE6.x, "Enable folder view for FTP Sites" as shown in
the picture below on the right.
To make your connection to the
server, open Internet Explorer and using your own username and
server/domain, type the following into the URL [address] field:
ftp://username@domainname
As an example, in connecting
to www.apple.com, I would type
ftp://ogrady@www.apple.com
If you are connecting to a server
that is on the same LAN that you are on, you would use the server
name instead of "www". So if I was using a computer
at East Stroudsburg University and connecting to a server at
ESU also, I would type:
ftp://ogrady@servername.esu.edu
Next, hit Enter.
Now you should be prompted for
your password.
Type password and hit Enter.
You should now have a view of
all your folders and files on you are mapped to the server.
To copy your files up to the server,
simply drag and drop into the window or folder on the domain server.
If you want to copy the files down to your computer to work on
them, you can't drag and drop them back to your computer. You
need to select the file(s) and then go to the menu - on a PC,
right click to get the menu - and select "Copy to Folder"
and then select the folder on your hard drive you want to put
them into.
FTP Software Download
If
you're managing your own website, having a good FTP software program
is an absolute must. Not only will it provide you with some independence,
but it will also enable you to have complete control over your
files.
Some
of the FTP software programs which we had found useful are:
FTP Downloads
|
|
For
Windows |
|
|
For
Macintosh |
|
|
