File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

Basics on the File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

In this section, mechanism of the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is illustrated briefly. If you are familiar with the FTP protocol, you can skip this section.

What is the FTP

   The FTP is basic and common service to exchange files between computers, namely hosts, over TCP/IP networks e.g., private networks or Internet. The FTP supports file transmission and character code conversion when exchanging text or binary files. The use of FTP is effective in exchanging or distributing of large volume of data over private networks and/or the Internet. A structural outline of FTP service is illustrated in Figure 2-1.

Figure 2-1. Structural outline of FTP service

  Basically, FTP is defined in the RFC959 as a communication protocol between Server and User for exchanging files. The FTP Server stores files to be exchanged or exchanged. Users, who want to exchange files, will login to the server and PUT/GET files to/from the server (Figure 2-2). A User may be a person or an autonomous process on behalf of a person who wishing to exchange files.

Figure 2-2. Application layer of the File Transfer Protocol

To exchange files by FTP, establishing an FTP server is essential (or you could outsourcing FTP service if your budget allows).
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