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Help, configuration
and tips.
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Frequently
Asked Questions
This page should help answer almost any question you may have, please select from
the list below what you would like to know.
How
can I buy Ability FTP Server?
You can buy Ability FTP Server via
our site with almost any major credit/debit card or by check. We use a company
called SWReg which allows us to accept payments online, over the phone, by fax
or by post. For more information, please view the Prices page.
How do I configure my router and firewall for
Ability FTP Server?
If
your server is behind a firewall or router you will need to allow the relevant
ports for the FTP server through. The ports that must be configured for firewalls
and routers include port 21 (standard FTP port) and port 990 (for implicit SSL).
If you have changed these default port values on your FTP server then you should
forward your port values instead. When FTP clients are using PASV mode for files
transfers, the FTP server needs to be able to open additional ports. Therefore
you must also forward ports 1024 - 5000 through any firewalls and routers. If
you have enabled and set a PASV port range for the FTP server (see the General
Settings page for more information), then you will need to forward those port
values instead. If the FTP server is behind a router then it is always a good
idea to enter the router's IP into the FTP server. This will ensure that PASV mode
transfers are negotiated to the correct IP for 'over the Internet' transfers.
How do I access my FTP server using a web browser?
If you want to access
your FTP server from any location using a web browser, there are several ways
in which you can do this:
Enter ftp://yourdomain.com. This will prompt for a user name and password if there
is no anonymous account. Enter
ftp://user@yourdomain.com. This will prompt for just the password. Enter
ftp://user:password@yourdomain.com. This will give direct access to your account.
However, this method shows your password in the browser title and may remain in
your last visited links. This is not recommended for security reasons.
How
do group access rights affect all associated accounts?
If
a group enables the 'File Read' access right, this only means that all associated
accounts are allowed to enable 'File Read'. If an account doesn't enable
'File Read' then any users of that account will not be able to download files.
If a group doesn't enable 'File Read', then any account which attempts to enable
'File Read' will be ignored and users of that account will still not be able to
download files. Only if both the account and group enable 'File Read' will downloading
be permitted.
I can
log in to my FTP account but cannot upload any files, what am I doing wrong?
If you manage to
login but are restricted from access to writing, creating folders or similar then
you most likely have some access restrictions placed on either your account settings
or group settings (if the account belongs to a group). Check these settings to
make sure that you have enabled adequate access. The default setting for an account
or group is for file and folder read access only. Be aware of the implications
of how group access rights overrule account access rights as explained in the
previous question.
I
can log in to my FTP account but cannot see any of my files, what am I doing
wrong?
The
first and most obvious thing to check is that there are
actually files in your account. If this is not the problem,
you should also check that you have set a root folder
for the account. However, the most common cause of this
problem is a router or firewall. FTP connections use two
individual connections; one for commands and the other
for data (such as files and directory listings.) If the
data connection is blocked by a router or firewall, then
you will not be able to view the contents of any folder.
Please read the routers
and firewalls question for more details.
Why
can't I log in to my FTP account?
First double check
that your client settings match your server account settings. Please read about
Setting Up an FTP Client for more details
on this. If your settings are fine then it is one of several possible setup problems:
You
may have incorrectly configured your Domain Name Server (DNS) settings. Check
that your domain name correctly points to your server's IP address. You
may have incorrectly configured your router or firewall. Please read the routers
and firewalls question for more details. You
may have Antivirus software running on your server which is disrupting your FTP
connections. It is recommended not to use client type Antivirus software on a
server for conflict reasons like this.
What
is an Anonymous account and how do I create one?
Most
FTP servers (especially public servers) usually have an
account created called anonymous. This allows a user to
login into an FTP server without the need for a password
(usually to access some free downloads). Ability FTP Server
supports anonymous accounts by simply allowing you to
create an account like any other but by calling the account
'anonymous'. All accounts that are created in Ability
FTP Server must have a password set. However, in the case
of the anonymous account this is not required. However,
it is still possible for you to set a password for the
anonymous account (to prevent normal public access).
How
do you setup accounts to access shared folders on other computers?
If
you are not running Ability FTP Server as an NT Service then this
is very simple. It can be achieved by specifying the shared folder in the same
place where you would normally specify a local directory path. However, the shared
folder cannot be accessed via a mapped drive and so you must use the full path
name (e.g. \\pc1\shared).
If
you are running the software as an NT Service then the procedure is the same as
above but with an additional step. By default an NT Service runs under a default
account which has no access permissions to shared folders on other computers.
To gain this permission you will need to change the account which the NT Service
runs under. This can be done by entering the Administration Tools and then opening
the Services option dialog. Once opened, you can adjust the properties of the
'Ability FTP Server' service and set a different account. For the changes to take
effect you must restart the Ability FTP Server NT Service. Please note that the
only problem with changing the account is that you will no longer have the system
tray icon for Ability FTP Server when running the NT Service. | | |
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