1-1
1 FTP and SFTP Configuration
z The term switch used throughout this document refers to a switching device in a generic sense or
the switching engine of a WX3000 series.
z The sample output information in this manual was created on the WX3024. The output information
on your device may vary.
z FTP banner is newly added. For details, see Configuring the banner for an FTP server.
Introduction to FTP and SFTP
Introduction to FTP
FTP (file transfer protocol) is commonly used in IP-based networks to transmit files. Before World Wide
Web comes into being, files are transferred through command lines, and the most popular application is
FTP. At present, although E-mail and Web are the usual methods for file transmission, FTP still has its
strongholds.
As an application layer protocol, FTP is used for file transfer between remote server and local client.
FTP uses TCP ports 20 and 21 for data transfer and control command transfer respectively. Basic FTP
operations are described in RFC 959.
FTP-based file transmission is performed in the following two modes:
z Binary mode for program file transfer
z ASCII mode for text file transfer
The device can act as an FTP client or the FTP server in FTP-employed data transmission:
Table 1-1 Roles that the device acts as in FTP
Item Description Remarks
FTP server
The device can operate as an FTP server to provide file
transmission services for FTP clients. You can log in to the
device operating as an FTP server by running an FTP client
program on your PC to access files on the FTP server.
FTP client
In this case, you need to establish a connection between your
PC and the device through a terminal emulation program or
Telnet, execute the ftp X.X.X.X command on your PC.
(X.X.X.X is the IP address of an FTP server or a host name),
and enter your user name and password in turn. The device
can operate as an FTP client, through which you can access
files on the FTP server.
The prerequisite
is that a route
exists between
the device and
the PC.