[thelist] allowing users to use FTP to download a client's executable from their web site

sfmalo sfmalo at msn.com
Wed Feb 6 06:32:01 CST 2002


Thanks, everyone who replied to my question. Am working with a new host on a W2K server so have run into a lot of restrictions re my being able to do things (I'm spoiled working with a unix host!).

This host does not permit anonymous FTP as it turns out. So they set up a restricted directory from which users can download the software. then we decided to have customers use their FTP program to set up a new Session Profile with the username and password the client will send each person who needs to download the installation.

I'm not sure if using the ftp url in the browser would work in this situation. When the software is finally uploaded, I'll test that out and see if I'm locked out or have access that way.

Again, thanks!

Sharon

From: "Ken Kogler" <ken.kogler at curf.edu>


> If you set up a specific user account on your FTP with the correct
> permissions, you can like to it via HTML thusly:
>
> ftp://username:password@ftp.whatever.com/
>
> That way, even if the user gets the username/password from his browser
> history (or someone else does), it's still got the correct permissions,
> and he can't poke around your FTP server.
>
> As far as setting up an anonymous account, you'd still link to it in the
> above manner, just leave off "username:password@". Check you FTP
> server's documentation to find out how to set up anonymous access and
> limit it to just the folders you need (as opposed to the whole
> website!).
>
> -Ken Kogler

> A client emailed me the following message this morning:
>
> "We need to be able to have folks download the installation from our
> site. (I
> think it's FTP capability since that's what 2 folks have phrased it.)
> How do
> we do this?  The reason is that for some folks, they cannot receive
> large
> files."
>
> My initial reaction was shock. Wouldn't this entail giving users
> permission to go into our server and take any files they wanted? Or, is
> this a function that can be done using Anonymous FTP (which I'm not
> familiar with)?
>
> Ideas/suggestions?
>
> Sharon
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sharon F. Malone
"web design and Internet writing services"
http://www.24caratdesign.com
sfmalo at 24caratdesign.com





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