What is FTP?
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard Internet protocol. It is a simple way to exchange files between computers on the Internet. FTP is commonly used to transfer Web page files from their creator to the computer that acts as their server for everyone on the Internet. It is also commonly used to download programs and other files to your computer from other servers.
FRII recommends that customers who need to transfer large data files on a regular basis request FTP access because many Internet users are unable to send or receive large files through email.
Anonymous or Public FTP
Anonymous/Public FTP is a method for giving any Internet user access to files. With anonymous/public ftp the user does not need to identify themselves to the server, so non-FRII customers can access files that you wish to share with them. Using an FTP program or the FTP command interface, the user enters "anonymous" as a user ID. Usually, the password is defaulted or furnished by the FTP server. Anonymous FTP is a common way to get access to a server in order to view or download files that are publicly available.
Common Problems with Public FTP
Users most commonly get into trouble with FTP when they set up their own subdirectories. If you add subdirectories under your public directory, be extremely careful to set the permissions appropriately so that only the desired parties can upload or download. If you set up a single directory that is both read/write, you have a high potential for abuse. There are, unfortunately, parties on the Internet who search for these types of setups. They will upload all types of files from feature length films to illegal software and then announce it to others on the Internet. In this case, there is a high potential to send your disk space soaring over your allotted disk quota and to cause an overage in your allotted file transfer limits. There are fees associated with overages in disk and transfer quotas. Additionally, there could be legal issues that you would be responsible for if there is copyrighted material stored in your FTP directory. You are responsible for any activities related to your account. Please monitor your FTP directories carefully.
You can check your usage online in myFRII by following these instructions: MyFRII: Quota Reports
If you have any questions about what your account limitations are or how anonymous FTP works, please contact support.
How Do I Get FTP at FRII?
FRII offers the FTP service free of charge for customers with website hosting. It is not set up by default on any of our accounts so you must request the service. If you request FTP, it is extremely important that you understand the ins and outs of this service as it does have the potential to be abused by outside parties.
When FRII sets up FTP for you, we provide a public directory with two subdirectories, incoming and outgoing. The incoming directory is write-only. This means anyone can upload files to your incoming directory on FRII's server. Only you can access the files uploaded by outsiders. So, you need to keep an eye on it since it is possible for someone to upload files to your incoming FTP directory which could cause you overage on your disk usage.
The outgoing directory is read-only. Publishing to your outgoing directory may only be done with your login and password. Any Internet user in the world may download the files you have placed in that directory. It is advisable to remove files you have placed in the outgoing directory when the parties who needed to download them have done so to prevent overages in disk quota and file transfer quota.
How do I Use FTP at FRII?
Upload Files Into the Incoming Directory
Using an FTP client, connect to the FTP server at FRII using the host ftp.frii.com and the username "anonymous". Once the connection has been established, navigate to the folder /pub/username and transfer the files into the Incoming folder.
Once files have been uploaded to the Incoming folder, you are able to access them by connecting to the FTP server at FRII using the host ftp.frii.com and your username and password and navigating to your Incoming folder.
Using an FTP client, connect to the FTP server at FRII using the host ftp.frii.com and your username and password under which FTP has been enabled. Once you have logged in, you will find your FTP files under the directory /u/vp/domain.com/ftp/. Again, make sure to transfer any outgoing files into the outgoing directory.
Once files have been uploaded to your Outgoing directory, users can access the files by going to the address ftp://ftp.frii.com/pub/username/outgoing in a web browser.
