File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

ArcWeb contains its own FTP client which is capable of performing most of the usual FTP activities. It allows you to upload and download files via anonymous FTP and non-anonymous FTP too. The two alternate types differ only in the authentication required to use them. With anonymous FTP, no secure authentication is require and non-anonymous FTP requires specific user authentication (although it still isn't that secure because the password is passed across the network in plain text format anyway).

Anonymous FTP

The format of a URL for anonymous FTP is:
ftp://«FTP server host name»/«path to object»
Provided that the host name you give is running an anonymous FTP service, then you should be able to access any of the files on it by navigating around the directory structure by clicking on directories to view those directories, and clicking on files to download them.

You can also upload files to the server. It is usual for anonymous FTP servers to allow uploads only to the /incoming or /pub/incoming directories (although restrictions are far less with non-anonymous FTP). To upload a file, drag it from a Filer window onto a window displaying an FTP directory listing generated by ArcWeb. For more details see the page about FTP uploads.

Non-anonymous FTP

The format of a URL for non-anonymous FTP is:
ftp://«User name»@«FTP server host name»/«path to object»
If the supplied user name requires a password to access the FTP service supplied by the FTP server, then you will be prompted for it. The password is cached for the duration of the session (permanently if you have made the authentication database persistent in the Network configuration window).

If you really want to, you can specify the password in the URL thus:

ftp://«User name»:«Password»@«FTP server host name»/«path to object»
The problem with putting the password in the URL directly, is that it will end up in your global history like that in plain view for anybody to see. If you bookmark a directory listing, it will end up in your bookmark files. If you allow ArcWeb to prompt you for the password, then it will only store it in the authentication database which is stored on disc in an encrypted format which although not secure would require some work to decrypt.
Stewart Brodie
5th April 1997