Learn
about File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
Learn to upload and download files from the Internet.
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File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
FTP, file transfer protocol, is an
Internet tool that enables you to browse remote computers and transfer
files. Files are available for downloading to your computer free
of charge. Uploading from your computer to a remote computer is
possible only if you have authorization from the remote computer.
The ability to share files has great value in education and research.
File Types (ASCII and binary)
The two types of files that can be transferred
are text and binary. Text (ASCII, which is an acronym for American
Standard Code for Information Interchange) files consist of letters
and ordinary characters. Binary files include pictures, sound, and
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Anonymous FTP
When you want to transfer some particular
files, you must inform the FTP server who you are by using your
login id and password.
(Protected files are available only to those with a proper password.)
Many files can be transferred to your computer by a method called
anonymous FTP. This method gives you the ability to download files
without requiring a specific password. The method is called anonymous
because the login id that you enter is, literally, anonymous.
Logging Onto an FTP server
The FTP process begins when a connection
is made between an FTP client and an anonymous FTP server. After establishing
communication, the client logs on with a user name and password. The
user name and password identify your account on the server.
Most public FTP servers are set up with an Anonymous account.
When you connect to an FTP server over the Internet, you need only
identify yourself as Anonymous and use an e-mail address as
a password. Normally, when you log on anonymously, the server displays
the public directory (usually named something like /pub or /apps)
containing the information and software that can be downloaded to
your local system. (Access to other directories on the server is usually
restricted.)
On anonymous FTP sites, look for files called readme, readme.txt,
index, or 00index. Many sites use a file like this to provide a catalog
of the information available on the site as well as other information
about the site, such as a mission statement or operating hours.
Note: Many sites have simplified FTP. You just point and click to
select the file to download, then double-click to perform the download
activity.
An example of an anonymous FTP site
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com
is shown below.
Go to http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/ftp/
for a listing of Ananymous FTP sites.
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| Telnet |
FTP
Telnet
Gopher
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Telnet
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Learn
to conduct a Telnet session.
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Telnet
Telnet allows you to log on to
a remote computer.
Usually you need a password and ID to log on.
An Example of a telnet session
window is shown below:
Signing Off
Don't forget to sign off any remote computer
to which you were connected.
If you forget to sign off, your computer may remain connected to the
remote computer longer than you had intended; thereby tying up phone
lines, increasing costs, etc. |
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| Gopher |
FTP
Telnet
Gopher
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Gopher
Searches
Internet Searches
Historically,
Internet searches were done through Gopher searches. Currently, Internet
searches are done through search engines, such as Yahoo! and Google.
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Learn
to search using Gopher.
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Gopher
Gopher is the name of a menu-driven
program that makes finding information on the Internet easy. In
Gopher, to select a menu or file, you do not have to type its name;
you just mouse CLICK on it. You can travel forward and backward
through menu items with single mouse clicks. Gopher automatically
finds whatever information you want, anyplace on the Internet, by
traveling from gopher to gopher around the world.
What If You Don't Have a Gopher Program?
Gopher servers are located around the
world. If you do not have a Gopher client program in your computer,
you can telnet to a Gopher site.
The University of Minnesota Gopher,
shown below, has a list of all the Gopher servers.
Archie, Veronica, and Jughead
How do you find something? Three Gopher
Internet search programs are named Archie, Veronica, and Jughead.
Due to the popularity and ease of use of World Wide Web search
engines, Archie, Veronica, and Jughead are not used very much any
more.
Archie (short for Archives)
Archie was the first of the important
Internet search tools. It was designed to keep a database of directories
and files in FTP sites on the Internet. Archie sites hold copies of
the database, and you enter these sites to conduct a file search.
Archie searches for a file name that contains a string of letters,
disregarding upper and lower case, that you have identified. Thus,
knowing the name of the file you want is important to the use of Archie
as an Internet search tool. After Archie finds a computer that has
the file you are searching for, you can use FTP to download it. You
can obtain a list of Archie sites by typing the command servers while
engaged in an Archie search. It is important to use the Archie site
nearest you.
Veronica
(Very Easy Rodent-Oriented Net-wide Index
to Computerized Archives)
Veronica is also a Gopher search tool that searches every item in
all Gopher menus for words you have identified. If you entered the
words car and boat, Veronica would do a world search of Gopher menus
and report to you all the file names that contained the string car
and boat. Archie and Veronica conduct similar file searches. Once
your site is located, Veronica lets you FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
directly from the search screen.
Jughead
Jughead is another Gopher search tool.
Jughead searches Gopher menu names similar to a Veronica search. Jughead
database of files is not as extensive as the Veronica database.
Jughead is a good tool for finding starting points for your search.
Jughead creates a gopher menu of files just as Veronica does. |
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