Add FTP functionality to Debian

[DrB0b]

Hi all,
Simple question really, what do you recommend for a trustworthy FTP client. The way ours is currently set up is through the ISP and Im wanting to stop paying them for this service.

Using latest version of Debian, heard something about ProFTP...

"You don't know what you got, till its gone..
80's hair band Cinderella or ode to data backups???

 

[tarn]

Do you mean "client" or "server"?

If client and you are trying to access your server then you would be better using a scp (sftp) client (if running from a Windows PC something like WinScp is a good client).

If you mean you have a server and want to allow clients to access it .. ftp files to and from it ... again the server will likely be running ssh so again nothing to add just have your clients use a scp (sftp) client.

If you are looking to install a FTP server onto your server then you have to be careful to configure whatever you use and ring-fence your users from each other.

ProFTPD is a "FTP server" that you run on your server and allow users (clients) to connect if that's what your looking for then it may be a good choice.

Laurie

 

[Annihilannic]

Pure-FTPd is another good option. One or the other should be available from the Debian installation media.

Annihilannic
[small]tgmlify - code syntax highlighting for your tek-tips posts[/small]

 

[Noway2]

I use proftp (server) and it has worked fine for me. There are a couple of caveats with FTP. As has been mentioned, the first is that with FTP everything is in plain text, including the authentication. Depending on your application, this may work fine. If you need better security, use something like SFTP.

The second thing to be aware is that FTP isn't entirely firewall friendly and you will need to account for this in the setup of both your firewall and the FTP server. FTP has both the control ports and the data transfer ports. The control ports are what you normally think of as being the FTP port (fixed low number) and then higher numbered (unprivileged) ports are dynamically assigned for the transfer. Whats worse is that there is both active and passive modes, though I couldn't tell you the difference off hand. What this means is that you will need to specify the port range and create appropriate, preferably state-full rules in your firewall for these extra ports.

 

[IPGuru]

vsftpd is probably worth a look
the VS stands for Very Secure & it is the ftp server used by Redhat on their public facing network. I don't imagine they would be using anything that was not robust.



Computers are like Air conditioners:-
Both stop working when you open Windows

 

[DrB0b]

Thanks again gentlemen,
Was looking into FTP Server. Security isnt a huge issue as it is just a repository for CAD drawings from outside contractors. Nothing too high risk.

I will look into all mentioned and weigh on the best option.

Thanks again all!

"You don't know what you got, till its gone..
80's hair band Cinderella or ode to data backups???

 

[Noway2]

DrB0b, now that I understand your need, I have two more suggestions for you.

1 - consider using a version control repository, such as Subversion. There is even a Windows Explorer plugin called Tortoise that will give you 'right-click' commands for check-in check out.

2 - If you don't need (or want in some cases) upload capability, Apache will will directory browsing. You can place the files in a directory and create a Directory block for it in Apache. This will allow others to use their browser to go to the page, click the link and download the files. Really this could be made to work for upload too, but that would be a little more work.

 

[DrB0b]

Our current setup has an embedded icon that our customers click on to access the FTP as it is on our page now.

I would love to do that but I didnt create the page nor does it reside on our servers. The ISP hosts our site, email, and FTP capabilities. Im working on finding an Exchange-ish email program for Linux, this FTP, and then hosting our own site. This alone will save us $60 a month to the ISP, then I can get proper bandwidth, as ours is horrible and basically made for a home with a couple users, not a business with 30 PCs, 4 servers, and cell phones joining in on the wifi.....

Both good points to look at in the last post though, thanks.

"You don't know what you got, till its gone..
80's hair band Cinderella or ode to data backups???

 

[Noway2]

Im working on finding an Exchange-ish email program for Linux

The two big email system that I am aware of for Linux are Postfix and Exim. Of course Exchange is proprietary, but coupled with a good IMAP server, (Courier or Dovecot), you can get the same type of functionality. You can even couple this with a SQL database for users and host virtual domains, backup-fail over.

There are a couple of packages that are designed to bundle the email system and facilitate setup. Zimbra comes to mind as a pretty common one. There are a few others, but I don't recall the names off hand. You can also add a good web client interface, such as Roundcube Mail, which is interactive and resembles outlook in many ways.

Off hand, I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to have one system handle both your email and your CAD file repository.

 

[BadBigBen]

also to the mentioned FTPservers, I would like to throw in my 2 cents worth:

FileZilla

http://filezilla-project.org/

Linux download is compiled for Debian 6 (Squeeze)...

and yes I also agree with the last statement from Noway2, in that I see no reason why one system could not handle both CAD Repo and eMail...

Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[withanh]

BigBadBen,

Can you send a link to the server version of FileZilla for Linux? I use the FileZilla client almost exclusively and would love to put a FZ server on my Linux box. I just went to their website and can only find the Windows download for the server.

Thanks!

h

 

[BadBigBen]

ooops, my bad... did not see that the server was win only...

I apologize for the misinformation there...

Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[withanh]

Too bad, you had me all excited! Oh well, no harm

 

[MoreFeo]

You may want to take a look at WebDAV.