The Digital Research Initiative

I have never heard of that

Believe it or not, if you have been on the Web for much time, you have probably used FTP.

It is the way large files are transferred to and from computers on the Internet. The largest use of this is by people downloading programs from foreign computers to use on their personal computers. For example, if you have ever downloaded evaluation software, you were probably using FTP (most web browsers support this.).

Another use of FTP is by Web developers who use it to place their materials onto a Webserver. FTP is used to support their files from their personal computers to the intended spot ona server's disk drive. In this case, FTP is used to "upload" information from a client to a server. Here, a web browser would not be enough, but a program specifically designed for FTP is necessary. PC/Windows users turn to "FTP Voyager," "WinFTP," and many other programs for these needs, while Macintosh users have "Fetch," the industry-standard FTP program.

Users of UNIX and DOS command lines often use FTP services by invoking the special commands "by hand." By doing this, the user is simply typing the commands FTP programs would issue for them, via a fancy GUI. Here are some of these commands:

This would move the user to metalab's public directory

Command	Function
`ftp ibiblio.org`	This would start an FTP session or connection to the metalab computer on UNC's campus.
`cd /pub`
`bin`	This would change the current transfer mode to "binary," which is necessary to get programs.
`get pacman.exe`	This would cause your computer to download a copy of "pacman.exe"
`logout`	This would end the connection.

In most cases, FTP is done "anonymously," that is, you are downloading files from computers which you could not normally use, as you don't have any access rights to the computer. In contrast, the computer which provides your email is one you have access to. Therefore, to FTP to most computers, you would enter "anonymous" as the login name and then your email address as a password. This way, the administrators of the FTP server can contact you in case there is a problem.

FTP's main uses are for transferring large files or whole directories of small files. This makes FTP the logical solution for anyone wanting to distribute software via the Internet. This is good for for-profit busineeses as well as foundations and universities which give away software. Generally speaking, to provide FTP services, a powerful computer is equipped with a software program that allows it to be an "FTP server" to provide files via FTP to clients. Then a "public" directory is created on this computer's hard disk which is the only place that the general public can access and read files on that disk. This is where programs for distribution are placed.

There are two pieces of important vocabulary we have used here. "Download" and "upload." These words assume that the client computer is figuratively "below" the server computer, as if it were kneeling in front of a King. Therefore, "upload" means to send files, while "download" means to receive them.

FTP services are a very important part of the Internet. It is not unique in its functionality, but it is used by almost everyone to move files. It is an old standard but still a very important one--not the biggest on the Internet, but certainly not the smallest.

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This site was created especially for students of the UNC School of Journalism's
JOMC 050 Class, and anyone else who may be interested.
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