Background

• FTP is a widely-used protocol

• • Probably second only to HTTP for downloading files
  • Probably the most common protocol for uploading files

• The basic mechanism is client/server

• • The server stores files in a directory structure
  • Clients log on, traverse the directories, and download files
  • Anonymous access is an option

• URL format : ftp://xyz.com/path/filename

• • Examples:
  • • ftp://ftp.netscape.com/pub/
    • ftp://ftp.sf.net/pub/sourceforge/

• Different FTP clients hide the protocol details in different ways:

• • Command line – closest to the real protocol
  • Dedicated FTP clients, such as Filezilla – easier to use, more flexible and robust
  • Web browsers – tend to make FTP and web access look similar