[thelist] re: urgent dreamweaver help needed: what is passive ftp?

Matthew Fischer mfischer at e-fishsolutions.com
Tue Nov 21 20:23:21 CST 2000


Lisa -- glad it worked for you, always happy to help anyone with "fish" in their domain name :^).

The Netscape web site has a pretty good explaination of passive FTP:

Usually, FTP involves opening a connection to an FTP server and then
accepting a connection from the FTP server back to your computer on
a randomly-chosen high-numbered TCP port; the connection from your
computer is called the "control" connection, and the one from the
FTP server is known as the "data" connection. All commands you send
and the FTP server's responses to those commands will go over the
control connection, but any data sent back (such as directory lists
or actual file data in either direction) will go over the data
connection.

However, this approach usually doesn't work through a firewall,
which typically doesn't let any connections come in at all. In this
case you might see your FTP connection appear to work, but then as
soon as you try to get some files or a directory list, the
connection will appear to hang.

Another method known as "PASV" ("passive ftp"), can be used to
retrieve files from an FTP site. This means it opens a control
connection to the FTP server, tells the FTP server to expect a
control connection to the FTP server, tells the FTP server to expect
a second connection, then opens the data connection to the FTP
server itself on a randomly-chosen high-numbered port. This works
with most firewalls unless your firewall retricts outgoing
connections on high-numbered ports too.

On 11/22/00 at 9:03 AM, lisa at koolfish.com (Lisa Bartholomew) wrote:

> After a sleepless night (I am on another time zone to most of you and you
> were all asleep when I needed you!) I tried the first suggestion on the
> digest to tick the passive ftp box and it worked. What is passive FTP? How
> is it different to "normal" ftp and why would it make a difference any way?
> 
> I will be taking up the other suggestions though of getting another ftp
> program after that panic, thanks guys as usual you have saved me from a
> nervous breakdown.
> 
> <tip type="Photoshop">
> You can use the keyboard to alter kerning or tracking in the type tool
> dialog box.
> (option-arrow keys) or (alt-arrow keys) will change the value by 20
> (option-command-arrow keys) or (alt-control-arrow keys)will change the value
> by 100
> </tip>




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