CGS 1550 File Transfer Project Revised 3/10/2005

CGS 1550 File Transfer Project Revised 3/10/2005 PURPOSE: The purpose of this project is to familiarize students with the three major styles of FTP client, which are: Pure (FTP only), character-based, command-line user interface, hereafter referred to as "CUI-FTP". Pure (FTP only), point-and-click, graphic user interface, hereafter referred to as "GUI-FTP". Web-based (FTP via a web browser), graphic user interface, hereafter referred to as "Web-FTP". Note that the three terms defined above are just for this project; they are not an industry standard. This project involves three exercises (plus a finale) designed to give you experience with all three styles of FTP client. You will use each of these styles of client to transfer files from different FTP servers, both as an anonymous user and as a user with a valid FTP access account. All versions of Windows since Windows 95 have included an early CUI_FTP client named simply FTP.EXE. If you (or whoever setup your computer) chose to install the Internet services during installation of Windows, then you should find this program file under the Windows folder of your hard drive. WindowsXP places it in the C:\Windows\system32 folder. It runs in an old style black and white console (DOS) window and does not involve usage of a mouse. Newer client programs have been developed such as the popular WS_FTP program mentioned on page 186 of your textbook that is a GUI-FTP client. You can download a Limited Edition (LE) copy (free for educational use) directly from IRCCNet FTP server (you will be doing this as part of this project). Another option is to use a web browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape as an FTP client to access any FTP server. Most web browsers have the ability to access FTP servers by using the FTP protocol. There are significant procedural differences in using the three styles of client, although all of them perform the same essential services, which are: User authentication for security purposes Storage hierarchy navigation Read and write file transfer between client and server systems APPROACH: Effective use of file transfer software requires more than just knowledge of how to use an FTP client. It also requires a general knowledge of computer filing commands or procedures for your own computer; such as how to make, copy, move and delete files and folders. Because each student works in a different environment with a different computer and different software, it is extremely difficult to design a project that will appear the same to all students. The design of this project was based on the assumption that every student attempting the project is using some modern version of Microsoft Windows (95, 98, NT, or XP) with Internet Explorer (5.0 or greater). Typically, there are many different ways to accomplish any objective with a modern computer. The directions below may not describe the fastest or easiest method for accomplishing each task, but they should work the same way for all students. Each student should feel free to deviate from the instructions related to Windows usage if they know an easier way to accomplish each stated step. However, students are required to use the specific FTP clients mentioned in each step to acquire experience with that style of client. Normally, all file transfer activities should involve careful checking for viruses, but we will not here (relying instead on previously scanned sites). 1

Windows Usage Tips (but not instructions to follow right now): To create a child folder within any folder window, right-click on the background of the white folder panel to produce a context menu. Then click on New, then Folder. After a brief delay, a new child folder should appear in the current folder window and the cursor will be automatically placed in a renaming mode by selecting (highlighting in blue) the initial folder name of New Folder. Change the folder name by typing the new name (for example: temp) on top of the old one and pressing the Enter key. If you want to open that folder immediately, you simply press the Enter key again (since the folder should still be selected). To create a text file within any folder window, right-click on the background of the white folder panel to produce a context menu. Then click on New, then Text Document. After a brief delay, a new text file should appear in the current folder and the cursor will be automatically placed in a renaming mode by selecting (highlighting in blue) the initial file name of New Text Document.txt. Change the file name by typing the new name (eg. MYTEXT.TXT) and pressing the Enter key. To open a text file, you simply click once on it's icon to select it, then press the Enter key (or simply double-click on the icon). Click inside the Notepad window that opens and make any changes to the file that you want. Position the typing cursor using either the arrow keys on the keyboard or by clicking at the desired location. To save the changes, click on the menu items File and Save. To exit the Notepad program, click on the menu items File and Exit. To delete a file or folder, click once on it to select it, then press the Delete key on the keyboard. When the program asks if you are sure that you want to delete the file or folder, click on the Yes button or press the Enter key. To minimize any program window that is active on your screen, hold the Alt key and tap the spacebar, then release the Alt key and tap the letter "n". Be aware that keyed responses to password requests normally are not echoed to the screen. Project Preparation Steps Refer To Tips Above For Help: 1. Be sure that the Windows view properties under folder options are set so that the software does not hide the extensions such as.txt at the ends of filenames. To check this from within any folder window (such as My Documents or My Computer), click on the menu items Tools and Folder Options, then click on the View tab and be sure that there is no check mark in the box entitled Hide file extensions for known file types. Then click the OK button at the bottom of that dialog box. 2. Create a project folder named "IRCCFTP" in the root directory (main folder) of the hard disk (C:) on your computer to act as a central location for storing the files that you transfer with this project. The name of this folder is entirely arbitrary, but for this project we will use this name. 3. Open the new folder using Internet Explorer, by typing "C:\IRCCFTP" (without the quote marks) in the text box on the address bar (where you enter web addresses). A blank window should appear displaying the new empty folder. 4. Create an ASCII text file named "MYSIG.TXT" containing two lines consisting of your full name and your IRCCNet e-mail address (typically something like: abc6789@ircc.net). Cautions related to timing: You must plan to perform each of the following exercises during uninterrupted sessions. Unlike the protocol followed by the WWW service in which the client (browser) connects to the web server only long enough to transfer each web page and then disconnects, the pure FTP service establishes long-term sessions (connections) between the FTP client and FTP server, which are initiated by an authentication process involving a username and a password. Most FTP servers are programmed to automatically disconnect from a client if there is an extended period of inactivity. Thus, if you wait too long (usually over 2 minutes) between steps, the server will probably disconnect you and you will have to start the session over again. 2

CUI-FTP File Transfer Exercise: Use the CUI-FTP client that comes bundled with Windows to access the college FTP server and download an index file from the server's public directory to your IRCCFTP folder, and then download a copy of the WS_FTP (GUI_FTP) client installation program. The steps are: 1. Connect to the Internet using whatever method is typical on your computer and then minimize any programs that are running. 2. Run the CUI-FTP client named FTP.EXE on your computer that was bundled with Windows as follows: a. Hold down the Ctrl key and tap the Esc key. The Start menu should appear. b. Tap the letter "r". A "Run" dialog box should appear. c. Type the command FTP in the text box and press the Enter key. A black and white console window should appear with the FTP program running as indicated by a command-line prompt of "ftp> ". Each command that follows will be typed following a new ftp prompt like this one. 3. Open a connection (session) with the IRCC FTP Server using the command: open ftp.ircc.net You should receive a response similar to: Connected to munin.ircc.net. 4. The server will prompt you for a username. Respond with: anonymous 5. The server will prompt you for a password. Respond with your IRCCNet email address. The server will send back the message: 230 Login successful. Have fun. 6. Determine the status of the connection by sending (entering) the command: stat A few lines of status information will be displayed, probably indicating (among other things) that the current transfer mode ("Type") is set to ascii (7-bit character transfer). If the status message says that your transfer "Type" is binary, then send the command: asc 7. Ask for a directory listing from the server with the command: dir A directory listing should appear. It may look quite different from the format that you are used to, but you will see that one of the items in the list is another (sub) directory named "pub". 8. Send a command to switch to the pub directory using the "change directory" command: cd pub A greeting with some information about the sub-directories available should appear. 9. Next request a detailed directory listing with: dir You should see a text file named 00Index.txt that contains an index of files in that directory. 10. Notify the client program that you want it to use the folder IRCCFTP on your machine for all file transfers with the "local change directory" command: lcd C:\IRCCFTP It should respond: Local directory now C:\IRCCFTP. 11. Download the index file from the pub directory on the server to your IRCCFTP folder with the casesensitive command: get 00Index.txt You should receive a reply about the ASCII transfer, including the words "File send OK.". At this point, a copy of the file should now be stored in your IRCCFTP folder. 12. Now change directory focus to the "internet" directory on the server using: cd internet 13. List the items in the "internet" directory with: dir You should see a file named ws_ftple.exe in the list that contains the installation program for the GUI_FTP client that we want to download. 14. This is an executable file, so we must switch to the binary transfer type using the command: bin 15. We will also turn on a primitive "bar chart" style of progress indicator using the command: hash 16. Now, download the GUI-FTP client from the internet directory on the server to your IRCCFTP folder with the case- sensitive command: get ws_ftple.exe The progress of the file transfer will be indicated by the display of many hash marks. 17. When the transfer is complete, close your connection (session) with the command: close You should still receive an "ftp> " prompt because the client program is still running. 18. Exit the client program (which will collapse the black and white window) with: quit 3

GUI-FTP File Transfer Exercise: Use the GUI-FTP client that you downloaded from the college FTP server to return to that server and perform the same downloads. This will expose you to the perceptual and procedural differences between the CUI and GUI styles of software. Before using WS_FTPLE, you will have to run the installation program that you downloaded to your IRCCFTP folder in the previous (CUI_FTP) exercise. 1. Run the WS_FTPLE.EXE installation program in your IRCCFTP folder as follows: a. Hold down the Ctrl key and tap the Esc key. The Start menu should appear. b. Tap the letter "r". A Run dialog box should appear. a. Type the command C:\IRCCFTP\WS_FTPLE in the text box and press the Enter key. b. Click the Continue button. c. Click in the circle in front of "A student..." and then click the Next button. d. Click in the check box in front of "At home". e. Click in the check box in front of "For academic work" and then click the Next button. f. Read the End User License Agreement and click the Accept button. g. Accept the default destination folder by clicking the OK button. h. Set the preferred location for transfers to C:\IRCCFTP and click the OK button. i. Accept the default Program Manager Group by clicking the OK button. j. Finish the installation by clicking the OK button. k. The newly installed program folder should open. Close it for now. 2. If you are not still connected to the Internet, re-connect using whatever method is typical on your computer, and then minimize any programs that are running. 3. Run your newly installed WS_FTP client from the Start Menu by selecting: Start, All Programs, WS_FTP, and finally WS_FTP95 LE. 4. The WS_FTP program window should appear. The program is initially set to start a connection session immediately by opening a Session Properties dialog box like the one shown below. This box contains a drop-down list of profiles for many different "file archive" sites available for connection. Press the New button to create a Profile named "IRCCNet" with the text boxes filled in as shown below, with the exception of the password, which (for purposes of network etiquette) should be set to your IRCCNet email address. Don t press the [Enter] key yet. There are other screens to fill-in before the connection is established. You can move from box to box by tapping the [Tab] key. If you want to change anything in a box, use [Tab] or click in the box to position the typing cursor and then delete or backspace the old information and replace it with the new. 4

5. You can save a preference for which folders you want to work in on both the local computer (yours) and the remote computer (the server). Click on the sheet tab labeled Startup in the Session Properties dialog box and fill-in the text boxes as shown below. Be very careful about the forward and backward slashes and the casesensitive labels. 6. (If your Internet connection is protected by firewall software or routed through a home network, you may have to also click on the Advanced tab and check the box for Passive Transfers.) 7. Open a connection to the IRCCNet FTP server by clicking on the OK button on the screen or by pressing the [Enter] key on the keyboard. 8. If your login attempt is successful, messages showing the handshake between the FTP client and server will scroll by at the bottom of the screen. Then a split window (as shown below) should appear displaying "local" (on your PC) and "remote" (on the server) file systems. If the FTP window is not maximized to completely fill the screen, maximize it now by clicking on the maximize icon or by using the keys [Alt+Spacebar], X. 5

9. The first file you will copy from the IRCC FTP Server is 00Index.txt in the pub directory (the same one that you copied in the previous exercise). The pub directory should be the active directory being displayed on the right side of the screen. Copy the 00Index.txt file to your hard disk using the following steps: a. The "target file" is a text (ASCI) file, so click the ASCII option button at the bottom of screen. b. Click on the filename 00Index.txt in the right-hand area to mark it as the active file. c. Click on the < button in the center of the screen to start the copying process. d. If you receive a warning about overwriting a file with a newer date, click on the OK button. After a brief delay (in which you might notice a progress chart flash on the screen), the file will be copied onto your hard disk and appear in your Local System area (left side of the screen). 10. Now view the contents of the file by clicking once on the 00Index.txt file label on the left-hand panel of the screen and then clicking the View button on the left half of the screen. This should open the Notepad program on your computer and let you view the file. After viewing it close the Notepad window by clicking on its X icon or by using the keys [Alt+Spacebar], C. 11. To illustrate the importance of selecting the correct transfer type, copy the file again (repeat the steps in 9 above), but this time select the Binary transfer type (in step 9a) before copying the file. Now view the contents of the file by clicking once on the 00Index.txt file label on the left-hand panel of the screen and then clicking the View button on the left half of the screen. You should see that the carriage returns are not stored properly. The wrong transfer type can severely corrupt a file if you use the ASCII type when you transfer it, so beware. After viewing the file close Notepad. 12. Now try changing the name of the file that you just copied onto your hard disk: a. Click on the filename 00Index.txt in the left-hand area. b. The Rename button should (on the left side) now be highlighted. Click on it. c. A Rename dialog box should now appear. Type corrupt.txt, then hit the [Enter] key. d. The filename in the Local System area (left side) should reflect the change. 13. Next, copy the same WS_FTELE installation program that you copied from the server's internet directory in the CUI-FTP exercise using the following steps: a. Change to the internet directory by double-clicking on its name in the Remote System (right side of the screen) area. b. This "target file" is a not text file, so be sure that the Binary option button at the bottom of screen is selected. c. Scroll down to and click the filename ws_ftple.exe in the right-hand area. d. Click on the < button in the center of the screen to start the copying process. e. If you receive a warning about overwriting a file with a newer date, click on the OK button. After a delay (in which you should notice a progress chart appear on the screen), the file will be copied onto your hard disk and appear in your Local System area (left side of the screen). 14. Close the connection with IRCCNet by clicking on the Close button in the lower left-hand corner. 15. Then terminate your FTP client by clicking on the Exit button in the lower right-hand corner. Project Submission Instructions: At the end of this project, you will be asked to send an email message to me in WebCT with a copy of the corrupt.txt file attached to it as proof of your performance of this part of the exercise. So, retain the file. GUI-FTP Exercise Follow-up: For more information about WS_FTP, view the publisher's FTP new user's guide site at: http://www.ftpplanet.com/ftpresources/ftpnew-user.htm 6

Web-FTP File Transfer Exercise: Use Microsoft Internet Explorer as an FTP client and return to the IRCC FTP server and perform the same downloads. This will expose you to the perceptual and procedural differences between the pure FTP and Web-based FTP styles of client. 1. If you are not still connected to the Internet, re-connect using whatever method is typical on your computer, and then minimize any programs that are running. 2. Now run your Internet Explorer web browser. You will find its big blue icon either on your Windows desktop or under your Start Menu. 3. To access an FTP server using your web browser as and FTP client, you must enter a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) that starts with the protocol identifier of "ftp:" rather than the more typical protocol identifier of "http:" used for hypertext transfer protocol. On the address bar (command area) of your web browser, enter the command: ftp://ftp.ircc.net/pub/ This should display the pub folder contents from the IRCCNet FTP server. 4. You should see the same 00Index.txt file that you have copied before in the list. To download this file using the web browser, click on the filename 00Index.txt in the browser window. If that action does not transfer and display the file, try double clicking on the file. Internet Explorer can be configured in different ways which will effect how the following steps work. Normally, a text (ASCII) file is simply transferred to your computer's memory and displayed by the browser. You will notice that you were not required to select a type of transfer. This is done automatically by the browser, based on the filename extension. If you want to save the file on your computer, use the program menu's "File, Save As" choices just as you would in any Windows program. Don't bother saving this file again now. 5. If your browser opened a separate window to display the file, close it. Otherwise, use the browser's Back button to back up one step and view the pub directory list again. 6. From the pub directory listing, select the "internet" directory to view by either single or (depending on your browser's settings) double clicking on it. The internet directory listing should now appear. 7. You should see the same ws_ftple.exe file that you have copied before in the list. To download this file using the web browser, click on the filename ws_ftple.exe in the browser window. If that action does not start the transfer, try double clicking on the file. Binary files (for example pictures and programs) are also transferred to your computer's memory, but are not displayed. Rather they will activate a File Download dialog box like the one pictured. If you choose the Save button, the browser will open a standard Windows Save As dialog box to allow you to choose a folder and filename for the copied file. Don't bother saving this file again now. Just choose the Cancel button. Note that it is extremely risky to select the Open button, which would download the program to memory and then run it. This would not allow you the opportunity to run any virus scans on the downloaded material before running it. 8. Close your browser. 7

FTP Project Summary Understand that many web browsers cannot upload files to a server easily. They are only really good at downloading files. But pure FTP clients are equally adept at both uploading and downloading files. Pure FTP clients can also easily copy multiple files at one time, whereas most web browsers cannot. Many people think that web browsers are also limited to only anonymous connections, since they never see any prompting messages for the user's username or password when connecting. Actually, web browsers can provide authentication information to allow users to access to private FTP account directories, just as pure clients can. Instructions for this appear below. Each student has a private directory on the IRCC FTP server. To access your private directory, you must provide the following information to whatever FTP client you choose to use. Host Name: ftp.ircc.net User Name: (your IRCCNet username typically something like abc6789) Password: (your IRCCNet password typically something like 12345abc) No remote directory need be specified, as the server will connect to your private directory by default. If you want to use your web browser to view or download from your private account, then you must enter the URL in this format: ftp://username:password@ftp.ircc.net Beware that this URL (with your password - shown in clear text) will be stored in your browser's history list of previously used URL's and can be accessed by anyone using your computer unless you remember to erase the history list after each use of your private account. This erasure can be done from the Internet Explorer menu by selecting Tools, Internet Options, and then clicking on the button labeled "Clear History". FTP Project Finale Try to use either of the pure FTP clients used in the previous exercises to: a. Access your private FTP account directory on the IRCCNet FTP server and upload the file named MYSIG.TXT that you created in your IRCCFTP folder. Hint: to upload a file in the CUI-FTP software, use the command: put MYSIG.TXT b. Then try to use one of the other clients to reconnect to your account on the IRCCNet FTP server and download the file. Send me an email message when you are done indicating which programs you used for steps a and b above and any comments you have about the project. Don't forget to attach the file named corrupt.txt that you created in step 13 of the GUI-FTP exercise. If you run into any problems, don't get stressed. Try the procedure again, or contact your instructor for assistance. 8