FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is the way that people transfer files from one internet machine to another. |
You can use the ftp protocol directly from Unix machines using a command line:
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where it will prompt you for an account login name and password. You will then be connected to the home directory of that account and can use commands to move around the directory structure (cd and ls) and commands get and put to copy a file to or from your original location. |
Other ftp interfaces may be provided by your telnet program, or by other software programs such as fetch. |
FTP will transfer files of all types and formats. If the files are large, such as images, you may want to transfer in binary mode (the default is ascii). |
Some machines may provide a special ftp account called ÒanonymousÓ. You use your ftp program as usual, except that the login name is ÒanonymousÓ. The password can be anything, but netiquette obliges you to give your email address. The directory that you are connected to is a public directory provided by the host machine. |
From Introduction to the World Wide Web and Web Technologies presentation: Introduction to the www and Web Technologies -- Fall Semester 96. by Nancy McCracken-Foils prepared December 9 1996