How To Use ftp (File Transfer Protocol)

The Basics of Anonymous ftp

Host:	ftp.compueasy.com	This is the host that you will connect to. Here we used ftp.compueasy.com as an example. Most sites are named in the form ftp.<name>.<domain>
Host Type:	Automatic Detect	Sets your ftp client to detect what kind of server you are connecting to.
User ID:	Anonymous	Most ftp sites are set up for anonymous login. A login name won't be accepted.
Password:	username@compueasy.com	ftp uses your email address as a password. This keeps your account secure.
Directory:	/pub	This is short for 'Public'. This is the main directory you will find sofware on the internet. It will usually have many subdirectories for various types of computers and operating systems.

Compressed Files:

Most files available in the Internet are compressed. This is to save drive space and time downloading. They come with many extensions. Just a few are .exe, .zip, .arj, .hqx, .gz, .txt and .Z. You will need appropriate Decompression utilities to make them usable.
- Files ending with .exe, .arj, .zip are usually Windows files. Files ending in .exe are usually self-extracting. This means they decompress themselves when executed.
- Files ending with .hqx, .sit, .sea are Macintosh files. The .sea files are self extracting.
- Files ending with .gz and .Z are Unix type files.
- Files ending with .txt are Text files. These can be read by any word proccessor.

You can obtain many of the most popular compression utilities available at

Viruses

You should always check any files that you transfer from the Internet for Viruses. Obtain an Anti-Virus program to protect your computer from these destructive programs.

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