FTP
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a way you can move files from one computer location (network) to another. To make an FTP connection you can use a standard Web browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc.) or a dedicated FTP software program, referred to as an FTP 'Client'. If you have ever used Fetch (Mac), WFTP (PC) or FTP (Win 95), you are already familiar with some clients for file transfer. Web browsers, like Netscape, can be another ftp tool that is particularly easy to use. This document is about using a web browser, which will work fine if you only need access to your home directory (the same as H: if you are on campus) or to the samples directory; if you need access to other directories (like occshare) you would need to use a client program.
See the end of this document for more information on installing and using full fledged FTP client programs.
About Browsers
Web browsers like Netscape and Internet Explorer are comprehensive Internet
tools that allow you to do just about everything you need to do on the Internet.
In addition to browsing the World Wide Web, you are able to use e-mail, load
Telnet, read news and work with the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). For purposes
of this document, we'll show you how to FTP using Netscape; the information
is the same for Internet Explorer although some of the windows will be slightly
different.
Important Note for Internet Explorer 7 Users
Due to changes in Internet Explorer 7, the easiest way to FTP is to use Windows Explorer directy. To do this double click on "My Computer" on the desktop or select it from the Start menu. In the address bar at the top of the window type or paste in the ftp URL (i.e. ftp://ftp.oakton.edu ) Then just follow the basic steps below.
Accessing Public FTP Sites
If you want to access a public ftp site, simply enter that address just
as you would normally enter a Web page URL. The "http://
" that normally precedes the domain string is replaced by "ftp://
." Here’s an example using a university’s ftp site, which is typed in as:
ftp://ftp.bu.edu
FTP to your personal Oakton folder on the Oakton network (your H: drive)
Both employees and students are able to FTP into their personal folders when not at Oakton. Netscape and Internet Explorer (version 6.0 or higher) will both work to connect to your personal folders. If you are connecting to the Internet with an independent service provider, it is no longer necessary to use a regular FTP 'client' program such as FTP Explorer. FTP Clients, however, are still needed to perform more complex actions such as creating folders. Instructions for downloading and installing FTP Explorer are available at http://www.oakton.edu/resource/it/ftp/ftpxinstructions.htm.
To access your personal folder on Oakton's network when not on campus, the procedure is similar. In this case, the user's login ID is inserted into the string. A student named George Washington with the login ID "gwashing1234" would type the following string to FTP into his network folder: ftp://gwashing1234@ftp.oakton.edu
Here’s an example using Oakton employee John Smith's account. John would type the following string in Netscape's location field: ftp://jsmith@ftp.oakton.edu
Before John Smith is able to access this account, he will also be prompted to give his password. This is the same password he would use when logging on to the network.
This should take the user to a screen like the following:
FTP to the Samples Directory on the Oakton network (your F: drive)
To access the samples directory, the procedure is almost identical to accessing a personal folder, just replace ftp.oakton.edu with samples.oakton.edu
A student named George Washington with the login ID "gwashing1234" would type the following string to FTP into samples: ftp://gwashing1234@samples.oakton.edu
Here’s an example using Oakton employee John Smith's account.
John would type the following string in Netscape's location field: ftp://jsmith@samples.oakton.edu
FTP to the Share Directory on the Oakton network ( your S: drive ) - Employees Only
Oakton Employees can also access the Share directory, just replace ftp.oakton.edu with share.oakton.edu
Here’s an example using Oakton employee John Smith's account.
John would type the following string in Netscape's location field: ftp://jsmith@share.oakton.edu
Uploading and Downloading
Once you are at the ftp site, you will find that it works pretty intuitively.
You should click
once on a folder to open it or click once on a file to download it.
If you find that the item
opens rather than downloads (as in the case of text files) Windows
95 users should do a right click on the item and choose "Save Link As"
in order to save the item on your hard drive. Macintosh users can simply
drag the item to your desktop.
If you want to upload a file (for example, to your own account), you can use drag and drop (literally drag the files) to transfer them between your desktop and Netscape. This procedure will work for both ascii and binary files. The mage below shows a file being dragged from a Windows Explorer window to the Netscape/FTP window (note: you may or may not see the name of the file as you drag it over, but you should at least see a small icon near your arrow to indicate you are moving an item).
Once the transfer is complete, you should be able to see the new file(s) in the list.
It is important to note then when you use a browser to FTP the browser will
retain your login information for that session (ie, as long as you have that
browser active and running). While the benefit of having the browser retain
that information is certainly handy, it can pose a security hazard. If you
are FTP'ing using a browser that is on a computer in a "public"
place, you will want to completely exit the browser to ensure your login information
is cleared.
Creating Directories and Deleting Files
Although this is an extremely convenient way to upload and download, browsers do not offer all the conveniences of a full FTP program. Programs like Fetch (Macintosh) and WFTP are still the recommended utilities for creating new directories and deleting files or directories. If you need access to any directory beyond your home directory (the H: drive if you were on campus), then a client program is necessary. As mentioned above, they are also necessary for employees connecting from outside the Oakton server firewall.
Recommended FTP Client Program
One excellent FTP program available free for educational use is FTP Explorer. This program looks and operates much like Windows Explorer. It is available for download from http://www.ftpx.com. Instructions for downloading and installing are available at http://www.oakton.edu/resource/it/ftp/ftpxinstructions.htm.
Thanks to the Personal Computing Support Center at Boston University for providing some of this material.
Last Update: 5/10/07 jwade