You down with FTP?!
When it comes to trying to decipher the vast amounts of data we have floating out there, the first concept you should uncover is a little something called File Transfer Protocol, or FTP.
As the name suggests, FTP 'allows the transfer of files between a server & a client'. Similar to having a storage full of files, where some are accessible to anyone on the Internet granting you the ability to download them anonymously. Then there are other files that are protected & require you to authenticate your access to view and download them. FTP provides numerous file manipulation commands that are similar to ones you would find in a standard Linux shell. Making it an easy and convenient way to move files. So, let's dig into it. First and foremost a FTP server is NOT a file-sharing server. A file server is usually hosted behind the company's firewall on their local area network and is only accessibly to users on that same network. An example of a file server would be Linux systems can use samba to share files with users on Microsoft Window's computers*. Next, let's go over how these FTP Servers actually work.
As you can see in the graphic below, there are 2 modes to FTP sessions. An Active or Passive mode. " In active mode, after a client initiates a session via a command channel request, the server initiates a data connection back to the client and begins transferring data. In passive mode, the server instead uses the command channel to send the client the information it needs to open a data channel. Because passive mode has the client initiating all connections, it works well across firewalls and Network Address Translation (NAT) gateways. " Users are also able to interact with a FTP via either command line or a dedicated graphical interface [ GUI ].
This site has a great breakdown of further information:
Last week's task was to write the instructions on how to install & configure a mail server. Below are my requirements for this portion:
Mail Server Installation & Configuration
Take steps to install and configure the mail server.
The mail server should not relay mail from other servers.
Mail user accounts correspond to Linux user accounts. Therefore, on this machine, you need to establish a user account for every employee.
Your directions should explain how to set up one sample account and describe items to keep in mind as the administrator sets up the other accounts.
The only virtual user account for mail is mapping webmaster@drv.net to the admin user account defined above.
I am still working on this portion for the project, next week I should have a more in depth description of any problems I run into. As it goes along with this weeks task which is to write instructions on how to install & configure an Anonymous FTP Server & a Secured FTP Server.
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