What is an FTP Site?
An FTP site is like a large filing
cabinet. With a traditional filing cabinet, the person who does the filing has
the option to label and organize the files how ever they see fit. They also
decide which files to keep locked and which remain public. It is the same with
an FTP site.
The virtual 'key' to get into an FTP site is the UserID and Password. If the creator of the FTP site is willing to give everyone access to the files, the UserID is 'anonymous' and the Password is your e-mail address (e.g. [email protected]). If the FTP site is not public, there will be a unique UserID and Password for each person who is granted access.
When connecting to an FTP site that allows anonymous logins, you're frequently not prompted for a name and password. Hence, when downloading from the Internet, you most likely are using an anonymous FTP login and you don't even know it.
To make an FTP connection you can use a standard Web browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc.) or a dedicated FTP software program, referred to as an FTP 'Client'.
When using a Web browser for an FTP connection, FTP uploads are difficult, or sometimes impossible, and downloads are not protected (not recommended for uploading or downloading large files).
When connecting with an FTP Client, uploads and downloads couldn't be easier, and you have added security and additional features. For one, you're able to to resume a download that did not successfully finish, which is a very nice feature for people using dial-up connections who frequently loose their Internet connection.
What is an FTP Client?
An FTP Client is software that is designed to transfer files
back-and-forth between two computers over the Internet. It needs to be
installed on your computer and can only be used with a live connection to the
Internet.
The classic FTP Client look is a two-pane design. The pane on the left displays the files on your computer and the pane on the right displays the files on the remote computer.
File transfers are as easy as dragging-and-dropping files from one pane to the other or by highlighting a file and clicking one of the direction arrows located between the panes.
Additional features of the FTP Client include: multiple file transfer; the auto re-get or resuming feature; a queuing utility; the scheduling feature; an FTP find utility; a synchronize utility; and for the advanced user, a scripting utility.