"ftp is a part of the tcp/ip protocol suite used to send and receive files from other computers on the internet"
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Archives holding files on the internet that you can download are called ftp sites.A url that starts with ftp:// will either download a specific file to your system or open an ftp site that you can select a file from
EG:ftp://tucows.com for downloading software
Ftp requires 2 participants:-
an ftp client program an ftp server program ftp client is a program that helps you connect to an ftp server.There are two types of ftp clients --text based(or line mode clients) --gui based Ftp server(or archive sites) is the program that runs on the huge mainframe somewhere and stores tens of thousands of files which can be transferred to our local computers. Ftp server is similar to an online library of files.The ftp client can upload files to the ftp server or more commonly download files from the ftp server. |
Thousands of publicly accessible ftp accessible ftp servers exists, and they store hundreds of thousands of files.Many of the program i.e files are freeware and shareware programs.Some ftp servers are so popular that they can't handle the number of file requests they receive. When ftp servers are inundated, other ftp servers called mirrors which have copies of the same files are set up to handle the overflow traffic Anonymous ftp is a means by which ftp servers allow general access to the stored information.These ftp servers create a special account called anonymous that has limited access rights, as well as some operating restrictions. While loggging is as an anonymous user you generally specift your e.mail address as password.However, most ftp servers accept any character string as password for anonymous account Ftp capabilities are available through os command languages or via browsers |