FTP
in full
file transfer protocolInternet protocol that allows a computer to send files to or receive files from another computer. Like many Internet resources, FTP works by means of a client-server architecture; the user runs client software to connect to a server on the Internet. On the FTP server, a program called a daemon allows the user to download and upload files. Before the World Wide Web was introduced, FTP was one of the most popular methods of exchanging information over the Internet and many Web sites still use it to disseminate their larger files.
FTP
(1) (Foil Twisted Pair) See twisted pair.
(2) (File Transfer Protocol) A protocol used to transfer files over a TCP/IP network (Internet, Unix, etc.). For example, after developing the HTML pages for a Web site on a local machine, they are typically uploaded to the Web server using FTP.
FTP includes functions to log in to the network, list directories and copy files. It can also convert between the ASCII and EBCDIC character codes. FTP operations can be performed by typing commands at a command prompt or via an FTP utility running under a graphical interface such as Windows. FTP transfers can also be initiated from within a Web browser by entering the URL preceded with ftp://.
FTP Vs. E-Mail
E-mail was designed for ASCII text only. In order to include other file types such as images and programs in an e-mail message, they have to be converted to a full binary format and "attached" to the message. FTP was designed to handle binary files directly and does not add the overhead of encoding and decoding the data as does e-mail.
FTP Vs. HTTP
When you download a Web page, the HTTP protocol is used. HTTP and FTP operate in a similar manner for file transfer, and both support binary files.
It's a Verb Too
The term is also used as a verb; for example, "let's FTP them the file." See FTP commands, anonymous FTP and TFTP. See also FTTP.
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| FTP Utility |
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| Ipswitch's WS_FTP Pro makes FTP'ing easy under Windows. After logging in and switching to the appropriate folders on the local and remote systems, transferring files requires only highlighting, dragging and dropping. |