Reference sheet prepared by Jolene M. Morris, District Technology Director, Grand Co. School District
File Transfer Protocol, or ftp, is often called Anonymous ftp because you can use it to obtain files from a remote system without logging into that system -- you are an anonymous user, in a sense. Ftp is client/server software that is available on most systems on the Internet.
Ftp on UNIX is an older piece of software and is somewhat difficult to use. A newer client/server software which is an improvement over ftp is NCftp. NCftp uses the same commands as ftp if you are familiar with the older program but includes such enhanced features as automatic re-dial and automatic login.
Login ID and Password
When you use ftp to connect to a host, you
are asked for a login name and a password.
Starting and Stopping ftp
You must know the address of an ftp host site. From the UNIX prompt, type ftp followed by a space and the address of the host site. For example:
ftp rtfm.mit.edu
Directories and Files
Most of the ftp servers are UNIX computers so you need to understand directories, sub-directories, and files. You will also need to know a few UNIX commands to navigate through the directories. The majority of ftp hosts keep their public files in a subdirectory called pub. You should look for this subdirectory first.
To close the ftp connection and return to your original Internet network, type the word quit.
Obtaining Help (UNIX)
At the ftp> prompt, you can type a question mark or the word help to see a list of ftp commands. Below is a chart listing the common ftp commands:
Command Explanation
quit close the ftp connection
? display a list of commands
cd dirname change directory to dirname
cdup change to parent directory
cd .. change to parent directory
ls dirname list contents of dirname
pwd print working direc. name
get filename download one file
binary set download type to binary
Downloading a File (UNIX)
Let's suppose you have looked at the public directory and you want to obtain a file called harvard.zip. Be sure you are in the correct directory, then type:
binary
hash yes
get harvard.zip
The binary command tells ftp to download a binary file (rather than an ASCII file). Sometimes it takes a long time to complete a download, and new Internet users often think the computer has frozen or disconnected. The hash yes command tells the remote computer to display a # each time a block of the file has transferred. Thus you can see progress and tell that the computer is still functioning. The final command, get harvard.zip, tells ftp to download the file.
Compressed Files
To save space on the host computer's hard drive and to save transfer time, most files on the Internet are compressed. You will see filenames with .Z, .zip, or .sit on them. This lets you know what program was used to compress the file. You must use that program to uncompress the file before you can use it. There are many more compression programs than the three mentioned above, but these are common ones.
ftp Addresses
Be sure to read the reference sheet on Archie to know how to find files on the Internet. Listed below are several ftp sites which have educational files:
Educational Listserv Lists contains a guide to mailing lists especially for education.
Address: nic.umas.edu
Path: /pub/ednet/educatrs.lst
Educational Newsgroups contains a guide to newsgroups especially for education.
Address: nic.umass.edu
Path: /pub/ednet/edusenet.gde
Incomplete Guide to the Internet is a guide written especially for K-12 teachers and students. It is an excellent guide for beginners to the Internet.
Address: ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu
Path:Education/Education_Resources/
Incomplete_Guide/
Project Kaleidoscope is a weekly seminar to exchange ideas and information about science and mathematics education.
Address: aug3.augsburg.edu
Path: /files/pkal
Reading Disabilities is a scientific paper discussing reading disabilities.
Address: ftp.spies.com
Path: /Library/Article/Misc/
disable.rd
Scholarly Conferences describes mailing lists, Internet interest groups, Usenet newsgroups, electronic journals, ftp sites, and more of interest to students.
Address: ksuvxa.kent.edu
Path: /library/acad
Schoolnet contains information, discussion areas, and learning tools. Eventually, every school in Canada will be hooked up to Schoolnet.
Address: ernest.ccs.carleton.ca
Path: /pub/schoolnet/
Humor related to school.
Address: quartz.rutgers.edu
Path: /pub/humor/School/
Usenet University contains information for people interested in learning, teaching, and tutoring.
Address: nic.funet.fi
Path: /pub/doc/uu/
Surfing the Internet is a paper originally written for school librarians, but has proven popular with Internet users everywhere.
Address: nysernet.org
Path: /pub/resources/guides/
surfing.2.0.3.text
