Introduction to FTP
FTP stands for the files transfer protocol and it is used for transferring the data that includes documents, files, images, graphics, movies from one computer to another over the internet. FTP works as the HTTP and SMTP. File transfer protocol works on the client/server model. It is also being used to download the software programs and files from the other servers on the internet. You can use the FTP through the command line program and through the commercially available software. By using the FTP software you can upload your web pages, delete web pages, set permissions to the files and folders and delete or copy files at your servers.
When you download a file from the internet, you are actually transferring the file from the other computer on the internet to your own computer. FTP runs over TCP and use the port number 21. FTP software works in the active mode, passive mode and the extended passive mode. A typical FTP site looks like this ftp://ftp.FTPplanet.com. A FTP computer is configured to receive the FTP connections from the other computers over the internet. A large number of simultaneous FTP sessions can be established at a time. FTP provides the following objectives.
- File sharing
- To transfer the data efficiently.
- Indirect or implicit use of the remote computer.
- Protect the data from variations.
By using the packet sniffer the transferred files can be viewed by the other people on the same network. To avoid this problem SFTP and FTPS can be used which provides the SSL and TLS encryption to the transferred files.
Regardless of the FTP client, you need to know the following things.
- FTP User name
- FTP Password
- Host Name or IP Address
The most common FTP client software includes the followings.
- Cute FTP
- Filezilla
- WSFTP
- SmartFTP
- ACEFTP
- FTP Voyager
- Core FTP Lite
- FTP Explorer
- LeechFTP
Almost all the FTP client software provides the graphical user interface and it is very easy for the users to send and receive the files, create FTP sites, set rights and permissions to the files and folders, set securities and deletes the files. Some of the common features of the FTP software are password encryption, extended directory listings, time and date stamping, thumbnails options, menu styles, dial on demand, filtering, drag and drop interface, synchronization, automatic resume and server to server transfer. Data is transferred by using the following two modes.
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