how to access ftp server over internet

[goontron]

i have an ftp server running on my debian pentium-d computer with a 100mb network and a cisco router, i want to access my ftp over the web but my budget for this is 0$ so i can't get a domain name so is there any way i can get to my ftp over the internet?

[Topcat]

Re: how to access ftp server over internet

Not unless you have a live IP. You could then map static routes on your router to the intranet IP of the FTP server on the LAN. You do not need a domain name for FTP.

for example: ftp://199.68.189.233 will do the same thing as ftp://badcaps.net. All you need is a live IP...

[mariushm]

Re: how to access ftp server over internet

In order to make something publicly available on the internet, you normally first have to check if your ISP allows it.
Most ISPs don't allow you to host 24/7 services like web servers (to host websites) or ftp servers on your home connection.
Some won't care though, so as long as nobody reports you, you'll be fine. Others block incoming stuff, so people trying to access your computer won't even see you as online.

Next step is you must have an IP that can be accessed directly from around the world. You ideally need a static IP - that's an IP that doesn't change every time you reset your dsl/cable modem or restart your computer. If your IP changes very often, there's really no point in even trying. If the IP changes rarely (once every few months) it should be easy.

Next, you need a name for your website or ftp server, which is a domain. The domain points to your IP so that if at any time your IP changes, you can just update the IP in the domain name configuration and users will not have to remember your IP.
You can buy a domain, which cost anything between 2-3$ and 10-12$ a year... the company who sells the domain usually also gives you the control panel where you put the IP and everything needed to make the domain point to your computer.

If you don't want to spend money, there are free subdomain services... for example see : http://freedns.afraid.org/

Basically you signup and make up a name, like "goontron", and then you get a domain like "goontron.homenet.org" and from that site's control panel you can set the ip.

Then whoever writes ftp : / / goontron .homenet.org will connect to your IP.

Finally, you have to set up your router to forward all commands coming to the router's IP to your computer that has the ftp server. There should be a page in your router's settings called "port forwarding" or "ftp redirection" or something like that.

[goontron]

Re: how to access ftp server over internet

it works thank you soo much for your help i have tried this before but it didn't work so well...but now it works and i can access my files anywhere and set up wasn't too hard for me this time around thank you mates.


i used Free DNS

[mariushm]

Re: how to access ftp server over internet

No, you don't put 192.168.1.103 to skysftp.uselinux bla bla ... that's the IP from within your network which can't be accessed from outside. It just happens to work because you connected to it from your own network (your home). If you go somewhere else, you won't be able to connect because 192.168.1.xxx is local ip, only present after your router.

You need to put the IP that you're seen from outside with. If you don't know it, try something like http://www.ping.eu - it should say "Your ip is ##.##.##.##" <-- that's the IP you need to use.

Also, FTP is a special case when it comes to Internet.
It was designed a long time ago so it has some quirks... it was designed to work directly on servers connected to internet, not behind routers and internal IPs like the one your router gives you.
These days, programs work with the internet pretty much by creating a bi-directional connection between computers and talking back and forth. HTTP (websites) work like this: your browser connects to the server, says "give me this page", and the server replies on the same connection saying "ok here's the page" and immediately sends on the same connection the data.
FTP works a bit differently. The connection created initially, for which you need that forwarding on port 21, is only used by the ftp server to accept commands, it's like a basic chat.
You can connect to the FTP but you can't actually receive folder listings and files through that connection.
When you request a file, the FTP server tells your computer through the original connection (the one through port 21) that he has the file and that he waits for you to connect to another port on the remote server to actually get the file. While you copy the file through the other connection, the ftp server accepts more commands from you through the original connection on port 21.

This is passive mode.. there's another mode called active mode in which your computer tells the server on what port it listens for incoming data and the ftp server is supposed to connect and send data to you. This is problematic again when it comes to computers behind routers, with private IPs (not Internet IPs).

You can learn more about these two modes here: http://slacksite.com/other/ftp.html

Basically, the most pain free for you is to use passive mode. You have to configure the ftp server to force passive mode and only use ports from a specific range (let's say 62000-63000) and then tell the router to forward that range, so that any connection to your router's external IP gets passed to the internal ftp server.
Then, everywhere you want to use FTP, you have to configure the ftp client to use passive mode by default - most clients do or switch to passive mode when the ftp server says it does not allow active mode.

In Filezilla FTP server, you can set the server from configuration easily : Filezilla server options > Passive mode settings > use custom range [ ] - [ ]

[goontron]

Re: how to access ftp server over internet

thanks for catching that mariushm i fixed that it works and i didn't use filezilla i used vsftpd for linux
any tips for that server?

[mariushm]

Re: how to access ftp server over internet

No, that's very basic and good ftp server software, I've used it on FreeBSD in the past.

[goontron]

Re: how to access ftp server over internet

skysftp.uselinux.us was privet and i got rejected and the new ftp ftp://skysftp.windmillstravel.com/ dosnt work with new ip ether

[goontron]

Re: how to access ftp server over internet

ok it just needed the DNS server to refresh its cache and now it works from my school.
so again thank you so much!