FTP
File Sharing
lesson book
Last modified: April 13, 2004 at - 04:11 PM - pacific time
For those of you familiar with the
File Transfer Protocol you can use the above "button"
or CLICK HERE to jump to the FTP site.
Basic information on FTP
If File Transfer Protocol (FTP) makes about as much sense to you as Newtonian Group Dynamics (I made that up) then take heart. This stuff CAN be easy and that's why OD people need to get involved with Information Technology. So please read on.
All an ftp site is --- is the ability for you to look at the directory structure of MY (or any website's) hard disk and grab files off of it. Think of it as your community hard drive on the web.
When you go to the FTP (file transfer protocol) site with your web browser you will see a graphical representation of the FTP portion of MY hard drive.
[ a note about alphabetical sequences on some computers: ]
Because this system is on a UNIX machine the alphabetizing is case sensitive or specific with all UPPER CASE letters coming before the lower case ones (e.g., Zig comes before alpha, DReam comes before Desire ) -- this at first might cause you some difficulty in finding file names if they mix UPPER and lower case in the file name.
-- this alphabetizing "quirk" is because in the earlier days of computing we only used ALL UPPER CASE and the early teletype machines used for keyboards and printers only had UPPER CASE and the UNIX guys who came much later (mostly or all guys I would guess) -- didn't bother internally converting lower to UPPERcase and may now even consider this as a "feature" rather than a "bug" or problem --- so we are stuck with it -- ( i.e., learn to value diversity and be thankful you have a Windows or Mac machine )
Most FTP sites (this one included) have included an Index or table of contents file in each public directory as a courtesy to let you know what you are looking at. This usually is a text file named something like Index.txt and can be read by double-clicking on it from most browsers.
[ note/warning: the "index" file is usually updated by a person -- it may be subject to human error and/or neglect. ]
It is also possible for the files to be directly accessed from the World Wide Web HTML (hyper-text markup language) pages like this one. This process, which seems a lot easier for you, is more work for me the programmer/webmaster. This is an issue of customer focus versus job sharing/team work ( Dr. Chris or anyone please give me a better ODish term for the latter ).
Either, in a customer focused mode, I make the job much easier for you (i.e., you just click on a fully described file here and it is yours) and the maintenance headache is mine (i.e., I have to continually update this site each time someone adds or subtracts a file from the FTP site) OR in a job sharing/teamwork mode, you click on over to the FTP site yourself and browse around leaving me more time to focus on my best skills, like getting more goodies out. [and more time to stroke my ego by writing pontificating stuff like this -- remember this is a labor of love, i.e., I'm investing my own time and money in this website -- so please write if you have work ... for me.]
-- ( and yes Virginia [ and Mike Bendon ] there is at least a third option - equifinality???) ... I could automate the process and have the computer regenerate the Index file and/or this web page each day, or on demand, or even better each time something changes. All I have to do is take time out to "sharpen the saw" and find and install a program that does that (or write one myself), both potentially non-trivial tasks. But I don't have time to do that if I am busy updating these pages. (OOPS -- sounds like a root cause/TQM issue to me)
But if I automate the process you would lose the opportunity to become more self-reliant, less of a victim, and more empowered, by learning how to do this FTP stuff and to have an appreciation of the troubles people have in harnessing this tool for the greater good of society and understanding why OD people MUST get involved with the information technology delivery system. And I wouldn't have time to focus on my most valuable team contributions [i.e., writing pontificating stuff -- hire me quick before I pontificate again -- write if you have work (especially on information technology delivery and implementation).]
So:
to see the "current"
index file (Index.txt)
for the MSOD FTP download site public directory
click
here
[remember: it may be subject to human error and/or neglect.
also see "cache" warning below ]
to get a
"real-time" picture
of what is on the MSOD FTP site
go to the download site --- by
clicking here
[ warning: most web browsers for quicker response "cache" (store) the view of a page on your computer and you see it not as it is now but as it was the first, last or some other time you visited the site --- make sure you "refresh" the page ... Microsoft's browser does this well ... Netscape 2.x and earlier does not -- you'll get used to it ]
Uploading a File to the MSOD FTP Site
If you want to upload a file to the MSOD FTP site you can either:
- use FTP
software to directly
access the MSOD FTP site, leave the file in the pub/Incoming
directory and notify the webmaster by
e-mail of what you have left and why [ he will then
post it to the appropriate directory ].
( For a brief instruction page on using WS_FTP click here. )
[ The pub/Incoming directory is a "blind-drop" directory which means you can write to it but only the webmaster will be able to see or read it. ]
OR ( far the easier ... but maybe slower way ) ... - send the file as an "attachment" to an e-mail to webmaster@msod.com
please allow 24 hours / overnight for uploaded files to process
Pardon our dust ... we continue
to improve the site ...
your
files have to be Posted by hand ...
In the near future we hope to have a more automated way
[ see
third option above ]
direct FTP site access and FTP Software
The MSOD.com FTP site can be accessed directly with FTP
software at ftp://ftp.msod.com, which is Internet Protocol ( IP )
address 207.88.16.4 leave your file in the pub/Incoming
"blind-drop" directory .
[ The pub/Incoming directory is a "blind-drop"
directory which means you can write to it but only the webmaster
will be able to see or read it. ]
If you do not have a Windows FTP program we recommend WS_FTP Limited Edition™ from Ipswitch, Inc. Created in 1992 by John Junod, WS_FTP™ has gained worldwide popularity as a powerful, easy-to-use Windows FTP application.
For a brief instruction page on using WS FTP click here.
How to Get a Copy of WS_FTP ™ Software
( to do FTP transfers )
WS_FTP™ is not Shareware but the Limited Edition is free to certain academic, U.S. government and non-commercial home users as defined below in the WS_FTP Limited Edition™ End User License Agreement.
All other users must purchase a license to WS_FTP Professional™, the advanced commercial version. For more information about WS_FTP Professional™, visit http://www.ipswitch.com.
We are now a distributor for the free WS_FTP Limited Edition™ version.
click here for the --
WS_FTP LIMITED EDITION™ END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT
 |
Click Here to Download Ipswitch's WS_FTP Limited Edition™, the world's most popular FTP client for Windows. (this is a 856K self extracting file) .... if you prefer we have a 566K ZIPed version that downloads faster -- you will need PKUNZIP or like program to UNzip it. |
 |
Click Here to Link to Ipswitch's online WS_FTP™ manual and Frequently Asked Questions. |