Connecting (a Network) to the Internet
FTP
Definitions
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, which is a fancy way of saying that FTP is moving files from one place to another place.
We have tended to use FTP as a verb; it is actually a noun since it is in essence a computer "language." What we need in order to use FTP is what we call a FTP client, or, in non-tech terms, a program.
There are many FTP clients available, but not all are free. For the PC, The University uses a program called WS_FTP because it is free for educational use. In order to use this, you must first download from the Seebeck Computer Center software library and then install it on your computer. This program is not the best out there, nor the easiest to use, but it is free!
For the Mac, the University uses Fetch, which usually comes pre-installed on a Mac, but can be downloaded as well.
More Explanation
For many, it is hard to really understand what you are actually doing when you use FTP. Think of it graphically:
You are working on a project in the office, a very large project. You want to continue to work on the project at home, but you can't fit the file on one disk (you don't have a zip drive). How can you get that file home? You can't just "send" it to your home computer.
What you want to do is send a copy of the file to a server, in this case the Bama server. Then, when you go home, you will retrieve a copy of the file from the Bama server. You can now continue work.
The only draw back to this system is that there now exists three files, all of the same thing (your original on your office computer, a copy on Bama and a copy on your home computer).
The solution is to make sure you send the file back to Bama after you are finished for the evening and then retrieve it from Bama the next day in your office. Bama becomes a kind of holding place for your file.
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