> Site Tours
> Features
> Off the Web
> Dr Know
> Celebrity Surfing
Web Logs
> Terror in America
Specials
> Best of Guide 2001
> Travel Guide
> Education Guide
> Email@30
TIPS to search 1
billion Web pages fast!
|
|
![[The Wonders of FTP]](09lead.gif)
Daniel Rosario
What is FTP all about?
Short for File Transfer Protocol, FTP is a client/server protocol for
transferring files from one computer to another. You are probably more
familiar with HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). Just as HTTP transfers Web
pages, FTP can serve as an application level program that uses TCP/IP
protocols. This SearchNetworking definition will tell you more.
Using FTP and related utilities, you can transfer and exchange files between
remote computers. You can also upload programs, Web pages, image files,
video and audio clips, text and computer software from your hard disc.
Is it a new protocol?
No. As a matter of fact, it is among the oldest protocols used for sending
files on the Internet. If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s probably because
the World Wide Web (WWW) has surpassed it in popularity over the past few
years. This is because it performs similar functions and looks far more
attractive.
I’m quite comfortable with WWW and HTTP. Why would I need to use FTP?
HTTP is better suited for browsing web sites. But comprehensive sites with
plenty of files, especially heavy ones, generally opt for FTP. You may wish
to put up a site of your own. If you intend putting up a lot of files, FTP
is the ideal method to upload them from your PC to the hosting service.
I don’t have a personal site. Would it still help to know FTP?
Yes, it would. I’m sure you hate waiting for hours to download stuff from a
Web server. FTP servers expedite the downloading process of files. In short,
you would save on time.
What system requirements are necessary to transfer files using FTP?
According to the University of Illinois site, your computer as well
as the one you’re connecting to should have FTP and be attached to the
Internet computer network. In addition, you need to know the domain name
(like www.rediff.com) of the host machine. You may also use the remote host
machine's Internet IP address (which has the form nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn, where nnn
is a number between 0 and 255), but please be aware that this can and does
change from time to time.” Lastly, you must have an active account on both
the machines.
You are now ready to send
files.
How do I connect to an FTP site?
There are two ways to do this. One is via Windows MS-DOS. You need a
username and password for certain sites. However, many public sites allow
you anonymous access. Type in ‘anonymous’ as the username with your email
address as the password. For more details check out this .Net Magazine feature. You will get further technical information here.
Pageresource.com will instruct you on finding and configuring an FTP program.
The other – and by far the easier – way is to use an FTP program that offers
a graphical user interface. Some of the most popular ones are CuteFTP and WS-FTP. Neither of
them are free, but you can experiment with a free trial version of AutoFTP.
CNet lists download links of the most popular FTP clients.
It sounds Greek to me. Is it too complicated?
In theory, it may seem complicated, but you’ll soon realise that in practice
it’s pretty straightforward. This is because all files are sorted into
directories. So you know where to look for what you want. On the contrary,
Web sites have a lot of distracting colours and graphics and it can take you
quite a while to navigate until you find the information you require.
Let me give you an analogy: FTP is like my college library, where all books
are shelved according to subject. When I want a particular book I
immediately go to the respective shelf. However, Web sites are more like my
bedroom – To find what I’m looking for, I need to sift through a whole lot
of junk.
How different are FTP sites from Web sites?
An FTP site is actually the computer that hosts the files. When you download
a software, odds are you are downloading it from the FTP site. Besides,
companies and manufacturers most often put their products on their FTP site
first. As .Net Magazine claims, “Upgrades and new software releases often appear on the developer's FTP site before being announced on its Web page. For example, you can usually get hold of the latest version of Netscape Communicator early if you monitor the Netscape FTP site.”
What are ASCII and binary transfers?
While the former are legible to us (for instance .txt files), the latter
have characters that cannot be deciphered. According to this page, “Different applications call for different formats. Be sure you know which type of file is most appropriate for your needs before making the transfer. Archived or compressed files and all executable files require binary transfer. PostScript output files generally do not.”
Can I update files with FTP?
You can update, delete, rename, move, and copy files at a server. Check out this page for details on how to do so. For additional answers, visit this FAQ on anonymous FTP.
|