mhc.comp.questions
Frequently Asked Questions

FTP

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is a way to transfer files, like HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). It is often used inconspicuously by web browsers to download files such as program installers; however, there are also FTP clients such as the two elaborated below.

How do I use Windows FTP?

Windows has a basic command-line FTP client built in. To get to it, open the Start menu, click on Run, and type ftp mhc.mtholyoke.edu. (If you want to connect to your webspace, type ftp www.mtholyoke.edu.) When it connects, you will be prompted for your username and password.

When you start FTP this way, you'll be in some random directory on your PC. To change this you can either use the lcd command listed below or prevent the problem by starting FTP from a MS-DOS command prompt, having already navigated to the desired directory with the DOS command cd. (It may help to use Windows to create a directory such as c:\temp and copy web files there to be uploaded, since there can be problems with folder and file names that have spaces.)

Here are a few basic FTP commands. (Note: these should not be confused with either DOS or UNIX commands, though they may be similar.)

For more information, type see ftp at the prompt. I have also written up an example FTP session, starting from a DOS prompt.

How do I get/use WS_FTP?

WS_FTP LE (Light Edition) is available for free on the web or from \\ambr\distribution. It is much easier and self-explanatory than command-line FTP.

When WS_FTP starts up, it will prompt you to connect to a FTP server. enter the server information (mhc.mtholyoke.edu or www.mtholyoke.edu), your username, and your password, and click connect. The basic FTP process is the same as with command-line FTP, but you don't have to remember the commands, and it's easier to remember what folder you're in.

What's the difference between ascii and binary modes?

Binary mode transfers the file exactly the way it is. This is for files such as images. Ascii mode is for plain-text files such as HTML and other web documents. It changes the file format from your computer's (Windows or Mac) to the server's (at MHC, UNIX). Basically, if you can open it in Notepad and it doesn't come out with all sorts of funny characters, it's ascii. However, if in doubt, you can use binary mode. Your HTML won't care (most of the time), but it'll make a huge difference to your animated gifs. If you're using WS_FTP, you can also let it choose the mode automatically.

Here's a table of file extensions to help clarify which should be transfered in which mode. This is, however, not a comprehensive list of either category.

What is the difference between connecting to mhc.mtholyoke.edu and www.mtholyoke.edu?

mhc.mtholyoke.edu connects to your home directory. www.mtholyoke.edu connects directly to your webspace; while you can get there from mhc, www will automatically set the correct permissions for the web.

Can I connect to \\ambr\distribution from off-campus?

No. This is because there are some programs for which MHC has on-campus licenses. The other programs that are available there, such as Netscape, are available free elsewhere, and MHC doesn't want people to use it as a distribution site.