Virtual Private Server User Guide

FTP Services

Custom configuration of the ProFTPd configuration file is beyond the scope of this 

guide. Some additional features that can be configured through customization 

include the addition of anonymous upload directories, various security 

configurations, and many other options. For additional information on ProFTPd, its 

many options, and its configuration file, please consult the Web site for the 

ProFTPd Project at the following URL:

http://www.proftpd.org

Using FTP and SSH Together For Secure File Transfer

If you have an FTP client on your PC that supports transferring files through a 

combination of FTP and the SSH 2 protocol, you can transfer files in a more 

secure manner. This more secure file transfer method is known as iFTP over 

SSHi, and SSH enabled FTP clients do it by first establishing a secure SSH 

connection and then initiating a standard FTP session through this secure 

connection.

If you do not yet have an FTP client that supports secure transfers in this manner, 

we recommend obtaining one. One of the more popular SSH enabled FTP clients 

is Van Dyke's SecureFX. Unless you reside in a country that is under current 

United States trade sanctions, you can obtain a copy of SecureFX by visiting the 

following URL:

http://vandyke.com/products/securefx/index.html 

When setting up an FTP client that supports secure connections of SSH 2, be 

sure to select the "Standard SSH Server" and not the "Data Fellows SSH Server" 

or another commercial SSH server variant.

Using the Provided FTP Client Program

Your server comes with an onboard FTP client of its own that can be run from the 

command prompt. This method is useful if you want to connect to a remote FTP 

server on the Internet and download files directly to your server rather than 

download them first to your PC and then upload them to the server.

To use the provided FTP client program, simply type ftp followed by the domain 

name or IP address of the remote FTP server that you would like to connect to. 

For example, to connect to an FTP server named cdrom.com from your VPS 

server, you could enter the following command at your server's shell prompt:

> ftp cdrom.com

After a connection is established, you will be prompted for a username and 

password. If you are accessing an anonymous FTP server, you can usually use 

the name ianonymousi or iftpi and use your e mail address for a password. 

Once you are logged in, there are several commands that you can use from the 

FTP command prompt. Some of the basic ones are:

Technical Training Department

August 2004

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