To configure your ftp program to connect to your pwp web space, have a look at blueyonder's ftp page which has specfic details for a variety of ftp clients.

This page takes a look at one of the fundamental ways files are transfered between computers on the Internet - FTP.

Since telnet does not have the ability to transfer files, the protocol FTP becomes very important. FTP will allow you to transfer files between two computers systems. Additionally, one of the vast resources on the Internet is public domain software. In order for you to get to this software you will use a special instance of FTP known as anonymous FTP. This allows you to transfer files between two computers without having an account on the remote computer system. Let's take a look at a few screens that show a typical FTP session.

The screen below shows the main control panel for WS_FTP. Notice how nicely the window is laid out and how clearly the buttons are labeled. This makes it possible to learn to use this program with little or no help.

view sample screen shot

In the screen below you see the dialogue box that is used to setup an FTP session. In the example below we are going to connect to the Netscape FTP server to download the latest copy of the Netscape WWW browser. Please note the use of the word anonymous for a user-id. This is the universal way to download files without having to have an account at the host computer. The password you give in an anonymous FTP session is your e-mail address.

view sample screen shot

This next screen shows the directory structure of the Netscape FTP server. Notice that the netscape directory is highlighted. That is the directory we need to go to in order to find the netscape browser. Notice how the information in the various title bars and message areas have changed to reflect the server we are currently connected to. This makes it easy to see what is going on just by glancing at the various areas of the control panel.

view sample screen shot

The screen below shows several levels down in the directory structure. Here we have to choose the platform area of the version of Netscape we want to download. In this case we will go to the Windows directory and download the latest copy of the MS-Windows version of Netscape.

view sample screen shot

In the following screen we have highlighted the desired file(s). We can now click the button arrow that indicates the direction we want to transfer the file or simply double click the filename.

view sample screen shot

This is the status window that displays throughout the FTP transfer to indicate the progress rate and the size of the file being transfered. It also indicates the name of the file and the file transfer mode. In this case binary.

view sample screen shot

The screens above are typical of an anonymous FTP session. Notice I had to use the login id of anonymous and was required to give my e-mail address as a password. You can also substitute FTP for the login id anonymous.

What is the difference between an anonymous FTP and a regular FTP session? The main difference is that anonymous FTP was created to allow people to transfer files to and from systems that they did not have accounts on.

What is the difference between the various file transfer modes? For example, what is the difference between ASCII and BINARY transfer modes? ASCII mode is used to transfer ASCII text files. Almost all other types of files will need to use the BINARY transfer mode. In fact, when you are using WS_FTP, you will discover the default transfer mode is BINARY. Does it hurt to transfer everything in BINARY mode? No it does not and it will be one less step in your transfer sequence.

Blueyonder have an anonymous ftp server and it is located at ftp.blueyonder.co.uk and can be accessed with the user id of anonymous, and password as your email address.

Note : Internet Explorer, version 5 and upwards, is now able to access ftp sites as easy as normal web pages. If you open IE and click on: Tools > Internet Options > Advanced and then ensure that Enable folder view for FTP sites is ticked, you should be able to access ftp sites (try the blueyonder link above).

Last Amended : 2004-10-07 by elfin
Original Author : Unknown