The process by which files are transferred
to the web server is called "FTP" (File
Transport Protocol). You have unlimited access via FTP 24-hours
a day. As such, you can create and maintain your web
pages on your own computer and upload files to your web
site at your leisure.
Internet providers such as AOL, Compuserve, and Prodigy may have
a built-in FTP interface. If you have a PPP internet account and
need an FTP program, you can download software
for either the PC (WS_FTP) or Mac (FETCH)from Shareware's
web site. You may have to contact your local internet provider
to inquire about compatibility. Microsoft FrontPage version
1.1 users whom have had extensions installed within their web site
should use FrontPage to transfer files only.
Configuring Your FTP Software
The following information is contained within your account activation
notice and is needed to connect to your web site via FTP:
USERID
TEMP PASSWORD
FTP HOSTNAME
The hostname tells your FTP software to connect to the web
server upon which your web site resides. In general, the process
of configuring the various FTP softwares is the same. We recommend WS_FTP for
PC computer users and will be using it in the upcoming examples.
Each time you run WS_FTP the Session
Profile window will be displayed. A profile contains the
information needed to connect to your web site. Creating a
profile now will eliminate the need for you to configure the
software each time you wish to connect to the web server via
FTP. To create a new profile, click the "New" button
and enter a generic profile name at the top of the Session
Profile window. Next, enter the userid, password and hostname
for your web site as illustrated below.
Fig.1
Be sure to select "Auto detect" for the Host Type. (see Fig.1)
It is best to select "Save Password" and "Auto Save Config" to
maintain these settings for future use. All other fields can be left blank.
You are now ready to connect to the web server. Click "Ok" to
continue.
How to Transfer Files
When you connect to the web server, you
will connect directly to the root ("home")
directory of your account. WS_FTP will display a split screen where files
on the left-hand side are within your own computer. (see Fig.2) You will
see several folders on the right-hand side such as bin, cgi-local, dev,
etc, lib, and stats which are landmarks suggesting a successful
connection to your web site.
Fig.2
You can transfer files directly to the root level and/or create subdirectories.
The only system directory that you may need to use is cgi-local; this directory
is reserved for custom scripts. To make your home page load automatically,
name the HTML document "index.htm" or "index.html" in lowercase and upload
it to the root directory of your account. To upload a file or files, simply
highlight the file(s) on the left and click the right-arrow button ("-->")
in the center of the screen. Be sure to upload HTML documents and scripts
in ASCII mode and images in BINARY mode. To transfer a file to a subdirectory,
double-click the appropriate subdirectory to open it before transferring
the desired file(s).
As soon as a file is uploaded to the
web server, it is available for all to see. If, after uploading
a file, you are still unable to see the updated file via Netscape,
you need to clear both disk and browser cache. This function
can be found by selecting Options > Network
Preferences in Netscape. Remember that you must first be connected
to the internet through your local internet service provider
in order to connect to the web server.
Notes to Mac Users
Select "raw data" transfer mode when using Fetch
to transfer both HTML and images.
PageMill may add either a .bin or .txt extension to your
files which must be removed in order for such files to load
properly.
Viewing Web Pages in Netscape
Webmasters often modify an HTML document and reupload it to the server.
After returning to their web browser they click RELOAD only to find
the original document unchanged. This is a common occurrence
for Netscape users and is easily remedied by clearing the browser's
disk cache. This can be done in Netscape under Options > Network
Preferences.
Changing File Permissions
Here's how to chmod a file in...
Windows: when in WS-FTP, right click on the mouse
button; go to commands, then go to site. Type chmod 666 filename in
the line provided.
Macintosh: when in Fetch, go to the Remote menu; go
to Send FTP Commands, then type site chmod 666 filename in
the line provided.
Below is a table explaining file permissions:
Magic Number
Binary
Representation
Permissions
0
000
---
No permission
1
001
--x
execute
2
010
-w-
write
3
011
-wx
write, execute
4
100
r--
read
5
101
r-x
read, execute
6
110
rw-
read, write
7
111
rwx
read, write, execute
chmod on UNIX interprets the first number for owner (yourself),
second number for group, and the third for others (everyone else). For
example chmod 666 filename will change file permission
to read, write for owner, group, and others.
More examples
chmod
Permissions
Meaning
755
rwxr-xr-x
read, write, and execute for owner; read, execute for everyone
