setting up my comp for FTP

i have smart FTP and i have a linksys router. i want to be able to set up my comp so i can get files from it when i am not at home. for example if im at school i want to be able to use ftp to get files off of my home pc. how do i do this?

i donno how many of you are familiar with http://www.dyndns.org/, and im not sure if the account i have created there can help with what i want to do. but i have an account created on that site.

if anyone can help please reply.

my AIM is TomDlgns
if anyone would like to contact me through that.


TIA

Tom

Hmm - your best bet is probably to set up a modem on your home computer so you can dial into it - probably not the answer you wanted to hear!!

If you really want to do it via your router then you need to set up some sort of FTP server on your home computer so that SmartFTP can see it. Of course, everyone else on the Internet will be able to see it as well...

HTH

nah, i dont think i want to go the modem route.

so there is no way to do it just so i cna log into it and not have it be seen?

how would i go by setting up my computer as a server so i can log into it?

thanx

Tom

It depends which OS you're using but NT/W2K server and Linux have FTP servers built in. Not sure about others.

The key things to watch out for are:
1) you're opening up a port from the Internet to your PC. Have you got anything on your PC which may allow someone to poke around it and possibly other connected machines?
2) FTP normally allows anonymous login - make sure it's turned off.
3) Make sure your directories ar appropriately secured
4) Don't have a password you can find in a dictionary
5) Check your logs
6) Are you sure you want to do this?!!
7) Your school may have a proxy server in place - you'll have to find details to penetrate that.

HTH

It depends which OS you're using but NT/W2K server and Linux have FTP servers built in.  Not sure about others.  

The key things to watch out for are:
1) you're opening up a port from the Internet to your PC.  Have you got anything on your PC which may allow someone to poke around it and possibly other connected machines?
2) FTP normally allows anonymous login - make sure it's turned off.
3) Make sure your directories ar appropriately secured
4) Don't have a password you can find in a dictionary
5) Check your logs
6) Are you sure you want to do this?!!
7) Your school may have a proxy server in place - you'll have to find details to penetrate that.

HTH

i have windows xp pro installed on the computer that i want to set up for FTP. i have smart FTP installed on this machine.

i want to be able to get files from any pc that i am on. assuming it has ftp software. not just at school.

no i am not sure i want to do this. i am under the impression that this is the only way to get files when im not at home. so if this is the only way to do this then, yes, i guess i really wanna do this.

and just because i set up this FTP program, and all my "info" will be open on the internet, wouldnt someone have to know the server im trying to connect to, plus my login, plus my password to be able to connect to my server and screw with my files?

i dont really know that much thats y im asking.

thanx

Tom

Hi Tom,

(Long)

I'm assuming that your router is acting as a bridge and that your PC has a public, static IP address. Many however are set to have a public IP address pointing at the Internet and a private (non transmitting - eg 192.168.x.y) address pointing inwards. If it's the latter then I suspect you're stuck.

The first rule in network security - don't turn on any service unless you need to.

OK. what you need to install is an FTP server. Have a look at http://www.sofotex.com/download/FTP_Sof ... p_Servers/ to see the sort of thing that's available - I can't vouch for any of these since I use Linux for my FTP server but possibly one or more will be fine.

You MUST (IMHO) be absolutely 110% certain that you have nailed down everything you can on your XP machine. To give you an idea, our firewall gets scanned (probably automatically) perhaps a dozen times a day by people looking for a port or opening they can use. Opening up an FTP port makes a chink in your armour that some sociopath out there may try to exploit (do I sound paranoid?!!). Also, ensure that you have all of Microsoft's security patches installed.

Once you've set up your FTP server (on your XP box) and got it running, you should be able to talk to it with SmartFTP - see directories, upload and download files etc. I suggest you try it on a local network first and when that's working try it over the Internet.

There's more...

Many large/corporate/educational networks make use of a proxy server. This allows them better control of what goes in and out. If the network you're connecting from uses a proxy then you'll have to find out the details and enter them into SmartFTP - otherwise it simply won't find your PC. The details will almost certainly be different for each location you connect from.

Finally, when you have everything in place you should be able to connect.

Now, about that modem...

HTH

Hi Tom,

I'm afraid that with a dynamic IP to your router and a private address on your PC you're not likely to be able to set up the system you want. You can use a dynamic IP in some circumstances, but your ISP would have to provide dynamic DNS (and most don't seem to). If you can get this service then you could configure your router as a bridge and have your PC pick up the Internet (dynamic) IP address. Your PC would then be visible from the Internet and you would be in business.

(Incidentally, if you managed all this - and it's not particularly straightforward - then why not set up a VPN which would be a more secure solution for what you're trying to achieve and also give you much better functionality)

HTH