Enterprise Mastermind

If you are anything like I was when I first got interested in the internet, you will be wondering what FTP is and what role it plays in getting data to your webserver. This tutorial aims to bridge that particular information gap, and will explain the much misunderstood fundamentals of FTP and how file permissions affect how a server handles your uploaded data.

What is FTP?

FTP or File Transfer Protocol is the format used for computers to send information to each other and to upload files. It enables you to access webspace directly and interact with the server directly. Simply put, it is the way our computers talk with each other and the servers that make up the internet.

So how do I use FTP?

In order to connect to another computer to transfer files we need something called an ‘FTP Client’ . This is a program specially written in order to simplify the connection process and there are many variations on a theme to choose from, some of which have more features than others. Most are capable of just transferring files to and from the webspace you are connected to, but in order to have useful control over how your files behave on the remote server you will need a client that at the very least lets you alter file permissions.

For the purposes of this particular post I have chosen a fully featured open source FTP client called Filezilla, mainly because it is open source (and free) and because it is cross platform so whether you use a Mac OSX, Windows or Linux you can follow this tutorial.

There are only 3 pieces of information needed to connect to a remote server via FTP: the FTP address, a user name and a password. This will point you to the folder that is set up to be accessed usually called something like ‘public_html’, ‘www’, ‘httpdocs’ or similar and is usually the same directory that the domain name is pointing to when typed into a browser.

Download Filezilla here: http://filezilla.sourceforge.net/

Install the application and connect to your webspace using the quick connect bar at the top of the Filezilla window by entering your FTP server address, username and password. The port number is nothing to worry about in most cases and should default to Port 21. If for any reason you do need to use a different port number, just enter it there.

When you have been connected you will see a list of files and/or folders in your directory listing. If it has connected to a directory outside your viewable directory (your httpdocs/public_html/www folder) you may need to refer back to any documentation or emails you may have received from your hosting company. They should have given you the path to your root directory if not, then phone or email them requesting your public root directory path.

One thing to note is that typing www.yourdomain.com/public_html/ will not access your websites directory because www.yourdomain.com already points directly at the correct root folder and therefore you do not need to add the subdirectory.

Go to Part 2 : Moving Files & File Permissions