Using FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

Contents

• File Transfer Protocol and WS_FTP
• Creating a New Profile
• Connecting to an FTP Server
• Downloading Files to Your PC
• Uploading Files to a Remote System

File Transfer Protocol and WS_FTP

To start an FTP session, open the Internet program group. Double-click on the WS_FTP icon. You will automatically be taken to the Session Profile window.

To select one of the predefined profiles, click on the drop-down arrow next to Profile Name. The profile for connecting to TTU's Anonymous FTP server is included. If a profile is not listed for the site you wish to access, you will need to create a profile for it. To create a new profile, click the New button in the profile window.

To Create a New Profile to Access Your Gemini or TTUMIS Account:

1. Click New in the Session Profile window.
2. For Profile Name, type whatever you wish to call this profile. For example, you might name it Gemini Connection or TTUMIS Connection.
3. Click in the box for Host Name, and type: gemini.tntech.edu or ttumis.tntech.edu
4. Click in the box for User ID, and type your username (e.g. abc1234 or xyz6789)
5. Leave your password blank. This way, you will always be prompted for your password before a connection is established to your account.
6. Click the Save button. This saves your profile for future use.
7. To use this profile now, click OK.

To Connect to an FTP Server

1. From the Session Profile window, select the name of the computer to which you wish to connect. If you would like to add a profile, see Creating a New Profile.
2. Click OK.

Once connected, your window will look similar to the one below. The window is divided, showing the local system (your computer) at the top, and the remote system at the bottom.

Within each division, directories are shown on the left, and files on the right. You may double-click on a directory name to move into that directory. To move back up one directory level, double-click on the .. shown at the top of the list of directories in the remote system.

To Download a File From Another Computer to Your PC:

1. After connecting to the server, from the Remote System box, locate the file that you wish to retrieve. If there are multiple files within a given directory that you wish to transfer, hold the CTRL key as you click on each file you wish to select.
2. After selecting the files, select the type of file(s) you are transferring: ASCII or Binary. The chart below shows common file types, and whether ASCII or Binary is appropriate.

   
            Common File Formats
   
           .asc    ASCII    ASCII text document
           .exe    Binary   IBM PC executable
           .gif    Binary   GIF file
           .ps     ASCII    Postscript document
           .tif    Binary   TIFF file
           .txt    ASCII    Plain text document
           .zip    Binary   DOS file compressed with PKZIP
   
   

3. Once you have the files and the file type selected, verify that the top of the window showing your local system is set to receive into the correct subdirectory on your system. Click the Receive button. This will begin the process of transferring the files from the other computer to your PC.
   

You may also view an ASCII file on screen without downloading it. To do this, single-click on the text file you wish to view, then click the View button.

To disconnect from a remote site and end the FTP session, click the Close button. To exit WS_FTP, click Exit.

To Upload a File to a Remote Computer System:

1. After connecting to the FTP server, select the files(s) under the Local System box by either clicking on the filename, if you are sending only one file, or by holding the CTRL key and clicking on all the files you wish to send.
2. If the file is ONLY a text document, select file type as ASCII; otherwise select the file type as Binary. Note that Word and WordPerfect documents are binary, not text files.
3. Click on the send button located under the Local System box and the file(s) will be transferred to the remote machine.

To disconnect from a remote site and end the FTP session, click the Close button. To exit WS_FTP, click Exit