FTP, What?
August 24th, 2006
Check this scenario: You’re watching your favorite television program when your flat-mate storms into the lounge room, cursing blue murder. Startled, you give him a moment of your time, and it is then you discern from his rather healthy conversation that his website has gone down. Worse - he can’t upload the latest articles he’s written for the World Comic Heathen Festival because his hosting provider’s network is also down.
Naturally you feel for him - who wouldn’t? But underneath the profanity and escalating anger is real distress. You offer what you hope is a sympathetic smile, but privately you wonder what all the fuss is about. It’s only an article or two. It’s not like he’s writing a scientific document trac for world cure for Cancer. You’re thinking he should build a bridge and get over it. Do this web stuff another time. Nothing is that important that it can’t wait until tomorrow.
On that note you switch back to your program just in time for that all important critical moment, and you find yourself leaning forward in your chair because you can’t hear the all important critical moment. Annoyed, you reach for the remote control and twitch the volume up a notch - worse mistake of your life, because your flat-mate has to shout to be heard over your program.
You creep forward some more; his voice raises another octave. After thirty seconds of shadow boxing, you give up all hope of watching your favorite show.
You’re somewhat bewildered by the turn of events. Your flat-mate is pacing back and forth from bedroom and lounge room, swearing and pulling his hair. He’s also raging about comic festivals, web servers and FTP connections. Suddenly you’re quite enraptured with the impromptu performance. You’ve never seen your quiet, mild-mannered anti-social flatmate so animated. So distressed. So human.
Fifteen minutes has lapsed since the Crash of 21 Baker Street. Your flatmate is still cursing and now he’s looking to you for answers. Solutions.
He has got to be out of his ever loving mind, right?
First on the list of unforgivable transgressions is the obvious: you’ve never heard of FTP. You don’t know what FTP represents. You don’t know what FTP does, or indeed what it looks like. You don’t know much of FTP anything, apart from the fact that it can’t be eaten because your flat-mate would have eaten it by now. On a dream of wisdom, you shrug your shoulders but privately you’re thinking: It’s only an article. Get over it.
Your flat-mate glares at you, at your obvious lack of web savvy intelligence, and storms off cursing the Fate of Comic Book Nations.
You’re once more alone in the lounge room. All is quiet. Peaceful. Blessedly calm. You’re thinking you might turn the television back on; you recall some follow up program that might fill a void. But your mind has other ideas. FTP. You couldn’t even begin to guess the nature of this beast.
Against all that is remotely fair in this world, you’re suddenly bothered by the fact that you simply don’t know what it is. Uncle Bertie’s weathered old Oxford Dictionary is starting to look inviting. But before you race off to your bedroom to dig under the dust laden boxes you stashed in the bottom of your wardrobe, you should ask yourself this:
Do I need to know what FTP is?
Well, that’s a very good question. And here’s my answer.
At some point during the building, creating and launching of your new website, you will need to know something about File Transfer Protocol (FTP), how it operates and more importantly, how you go about installing it on your computer. The maintenance of your website depends on it.
It does? But why? you ask. Surely building a website, or even taking on an existing one doesn’t require FTP knowledge, does it?
Again, Yes it does. Let’s expand our scenario a little…
You’ve decided to build your website from scratch. You’ve raced out and bought the very latest WYSIWYG editor on the market today. You’ve studied, learned, skimmed and researched everything you need to know about CSS and HTML and Website Design Basics from diligently surfing the web. You’ve designed your site just the way you want it.
In your budding excitement you’ve written hundreds of informative articles detailing your experience, particularly the highs and lows pertaining How To Build A Website Using Your PC. Naturally you’re excited about sharing this information with the rest of the world, and well you should be. After all, you’ve put considerable time and effort into building it.
Quid quo pro: What method will you use to get your beautiful website onto the Web?
You’re baffled by the question. Won’t my new hosting provider do it for me?
Yes - And No. Your hosting provider is responsible for providing you with web space on their servers in exchange for a monthly fee. They are NOT responsible for moving your files, your templates, your articles and your graphics from your computer to their servers, although they can, and many of them do, provide detailed advice on the process.
But actual physical movement of files they will not do. That’s your job. Hence why FTP is vital to the well being of your website.
Files Transfer Protocol
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a commonly used protocol for exchanging files over any network that supports the TCP/IP protocol. The Internet or an intranet is considered such a network.
When you break down the whole process, there are typically two computers involved in an FTP transfer. The first computer is classed the FTP server - in this case it’s our flat-mate’s hosting provider. This computer listens to the network (layman’s terms: The Internet, in this case) for connection requests from other computers that are co-joined to that FTP server.
The second computer, the client, which is our frustrated flat-mate, can make a connection to the FTP server (his hosting provider) by using FTP client software. A bit like ringing your Aunty Jean for advice. Dial up, Aunty Jean answers the phone, and presto! Instant advice.
Further breakdown: Once our flat-mate’s computer is connected to his hosting provider’s server, he can do file manipulation operations, such as uploading files to the server (where his website is stored), download files from the server (to his home computer, or any computer he likes), rename or delete existing files on the server (re-organise his website folders, images & the like). This is on the proviso that the Hosting Provider’s Server remains fully functional, and the FTP connection remains stable, which clearly in our flat-mate’s case wasn’t happening.
Important Tip: Web Hosting Providers offer space on their servers to thousands of individuals and companies for a price. It is understood these Web Hosting Providers will ensure high level security to their clients as standard contractual terms. Therefore, it is understood that no two individuals operating from two different computers, with ownership of two different accounts, may access the other’s webspace without the expressed permission of said individual involved.
Editor’s Note:
Nothing is wholly safe, especially in the world of popular Hosting Providers. Security breaches have been known to occur, especially with some cheaper hosting providers, as they literally have thousands of clients sharing the one server. If this does happen to you, you should get in contact with your Hosting Provider immediately and ask them for detailed log files of the breach, and what they are going to do to rectify the matter. If you believe the matter is not resolved to your satisfaction - don’t forget, you’re paying them for a service - take your business elsewhere. Switching Hosting Providers isn’t difficult, just annoying. And the bottom line? Sometimes cheaper isn’t always best.
Anyone can have access to FTP software because computers today generally support the FTP protocol. The added bonus is that many existing FTP client and server programs are free and easily found on the Internet, but the majority are recommended by your hosting provider when you sign up for an account.
My hosting provider recommended SmartFTP; a free, simple to operate FTP program that allows me to transfer multiple files back and forth from my website to my home computer and visa versa. It’s instant. Fast. And more importantly, incredibly easy to use.
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