Step 1) Install an FTP server of your choice on the PC you wish to fetch files from.
You first need to Install and configure the server or host computer with the FTP server software. The FTP server you use is your choice, depending on the capabilities you need. Examples of FTP Servers are Microsoft IIS (Comes with Windows XP Pro), WSFTP Server ( http://www.ipswitch.com ), WAR FTP ( http://support.jgaa.com ) , FileZilla FTP Server ( http://filezilla.sourceforge.net ) Argosoft FTP Server ( http://www.Argosoft.com )
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Now that you have the server or "host" (the computer you want to run the FTP server on) computer setup with your FTP server, you should obtain an FTP Client. In this demo, we will use the Internet Explorer Browser which can act as an FTP client
Step 2) Set a Static LAN IP address on the FTP Server
You should now set a STATIC LAN IP address on that system. This ensures that when the host system is restarted, or rebooted, it will always comes up to the same LAN IP address on your router. This is important to make sure the port forwarding works properly. Set a Static IP address of 192.168.1.200 on your FTP server system. This is assuming that your Linksys router is setup as the default LAN IP of 192.168.1.1, if not, adjust accordingly.
Need help setting a static IP on your system? - click here
Step 3) Test the FTP Server on your LAN
You are now ready to test and make sure that the FTP server is running properly and answering FTP requests. The first test will be a LAN test. Use a Web Browser on the same LAN, and type in the following: ftp://username:password@192.168.1.200 as shown in the screenshot below:
Where Username is the Username you setup when you configured the FTP server
Where Password is the corresponding password for that username
Once you enter this You should then be connected with the FTP server and see the default home FTP directory
Hint: Having trouble with this step? Not Connecting?
If you cannot connect at this point, something went wrong. Make sure you do not have any software firewalls such as Symantec Internet security or the Windows Firewall running. Check the host system is on the network, and that you have the FTP server enabled and listening on the server as described in step 1.
Now that you have ensured the FTP Server is up and running on the local LAN, and you can login and see the FTP home directory, you now want to open the ports in the router. This will enable remote FTP to be accessed over the Internet. This means you can now run your own FTP server using your own domain name and transfer files to and from the server, create and delete, and more.
Step 4 ) Configuring port forwarding in the Applications and Gaming Menu
Opening ports in your Linksys router is very easy. You first need to log into your Linksys router
Log into the router by going to http://192.168.1.1 and using your username and password to log into the router as shown in the screenshot below:
(The Linksys default username and pw is blank/admin as shown below)
Once you log into the router, Find and Click the APPLICATIONS and GAMING link in the top menu as shown circled in the screenshot below. Your router may look slightly different, but most Linksys routers now have all port forwarding within the Applications and gaming menu.
Once you get into the APPLICATIONS and GAMING menu in the router, you will see a list of ports, and IP's as shown in the screenshots below. Keep in mind that your router will look like one of the two screenshots. Newer routers will look like the first screenshot, and older models appear similar to the second screenshot.
Step 5 ) Adding Ports into the Applications and Gaming Menu in the Linksys Router
A) Newer Linksys Routers - If your Applications and Gaming screen looks similar to the one below, FTP is already pre-defined in the drop down list of ports. You should set yours to look like the screenshot below. Select FTP from the dropdown list of applications, then select TCP, Set the LAN IP to 192.168.1.200 and Enable should be checked on. In the Applications and Gaming menu, add in the “FTP20” name within the Application field exactly as shown below. Then add in the Start port of 20, End port is 20, TCP or Both for protocol (either will work) and make sure the IP address is set to the Static LAN IP of the FTP server we set earlier. In this case, we used 192.168.1.200. Now make sure the port range is enabled. Scroll down and click SAVE SETTINGS to save these settings. You are now done with the port forwarding. Double check your settings before moving to the next step.
Newer Linksys routers - Applications and Gaming screen.
B) Older Linksys Routers - If your Applications and Gaming screen looks similar to the one below, you should set yours to look like the screenshot below. Add in the “FTP” name within the Application field exactly as shown below. Then add in the Start port of 21, End port is 21, TCP or Both for protocol (either will work) and make sure the IP address is set to the Static LAN IP of the FTP server we set earlier. In this case, we used 192.168.1.200. Now make sure the port range is enabled. Add in a second called “FTP20” name within the Application field exactly as shown below. Then add in the Start port of 20, End port is 20, TCP or Both for protocol (either will work) and make sure the IP address is set to the Static LAN IP of the FTP server we set earlier. In this case, we used 192.168.1.200. Now make sure the port range is enabled. .
Scroll down and click SAVE SETTINGS to save these settings. You are now done with the port forwarding. Double check your settings before moving to the next step.
Older Linksys routers - Applications and Gaming screen.
Step 6 ) Signing up and Enabling the TZO.COM Dynamic DNS in your Linksys router
Make sure you already have a TZO account, or if not, you are at least signed up with a trial account **If you do not have a TZO Key and Domain Name selected, sign up for a free Linksys branded trial domain at http://Linksys.tzo.com and select “SIGN UP FOR A FREE TRIAL”. You will then see the screenshot shown below.
Enter your choice for a domain name (and enter the email address you wish to use. Click the CREATE MY FREE TRIAL DOMAIN NAME button and TZO will then immediately send your TZO Domain Name and TZO key to the email address you used.
IMPORTANT: *** CHECK YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS NOW TO GET YOUR TZO KEY ***
Once you have the TZO Key, Domain name and Email address used written down or available from your email, log into your router by going to http://192.168.1.1 and using your username and password to log into the router. (default username is blank and password is admin)
Once you are logged into the router, click the DDNS link in the lower left of the menu as shown circled in the screenshot below:
You will now see a screenshot similar to the one below. This is the DDNS section of the router. You should enable the TZO Dynamic DNS service, and then input the Domain Name, TZO Key/Password and Email Address/Username into the router DDNS setup. Click Save Settings at the bottom of the page. You now have setup the TZO DDNS properly.
This domain name is good for 60 days for your use and testing. After 60 days the TZO Dynamic DNS service will expire. You can purchase the TZO standard Dynamic DNS service for this domain name at https://www.tzo.com/cgi-bin/Orders.cgi?ref=linksys before it expires. When ordering, use the domain name and the same email address you used when signing up.
The TZO Dynamic DNS is now monitoring your IP address of your broadband connection. If your IP address changes your TZO Dynamic DNS running in your router will then update the TZO DDNS servers. You can now go to the last step and start using your TZO Domain name to remotely transfer files to and from your PC over the Internet!
Step 7 ) Connecting to your FTP Server using a browser via the Internet
You are now ready to test and make sure that the FTP Server is running properly and answering FTP requests over the Internet. This means you must leave the network where the Server is located to test over the WAN (Internet). If the PC you are using as an FTP Server is located at your home, go to work and test this step, or go to a friends house with a broadband connection and test from there. If the server is at work, do your final tests from home, etc.
Connect a system to the Internet and the run a web browser on that system. You will now need to type in the DOMAIN NAME you are using when you signed up with TZO as shown in Step 6. See the screenshot shown below for an example.
As shown above, type in the username:password@TZO DOMAIN NAME that you set in the router in step 6, in this case we used Name.LinksysNet.com – hit Enter. You should then be connected with your FTP server using your browser in seconds and see your FTP home page. You are done! You should now download and install an FTP client application instead of using a browser for FTP. FTP clients make using an FTP server much easier and have many more options than using FTP in a browser. An example of a great FTP Client is WS_FTP by Ipswitch.
Having trouble with this step? Not Connecting?
If you cannot connect at this point, something went wrong. Make sure you connected properly in Step 3 (Local LAN testing). Have someone at the remote location check that the FTP server is powered up and that you have the FTP server running and listening on the host system as described in step 1. You should also check that you are using the proper domain name, and check that the ports are opened properly in the router. If all else fails, There are a few things you should check immediately before testing again:
A) Is port 21 blocked by your ISP? Call them and ask.
B) Does your ISP provide you with a cablemodem or DSL modem with Built-in firewall? If so, this DSL or Cablemodem firewall should be disabled or put in Bridge mode. Having a firewall in front of your Linksys router will cause problems with ports, and your server will not work. Your ISP can help you do this.
C) Do you have any Software firewall enabled such as Windows Firewall, Symantec Internet Security, or some other software application that could be blocking port 20, 21, etc? If so, disable it and try again.
By default FTP servers use port 21. This is done “behind the scenes” in the browser when you use the ftp:// protocol. If your ISP blocks port 80, or if you are forced to run your FTP server on an alternate port, you must put a :portnumber (that's a colon and port number) after the Domain.
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To check if certain ports are blocked, you can use http://www.PortDetective.com to check your ports remotely to see what's blocked and what's not. Make sure that when you test, you test on the FTP Server itself. Install Port Detective on the server, Shut down your FTP server, then run the tests on port 21 and any other custom port of your choice. If your server is linux based, and you can't run Port Detective, you can use any Windows PC to run it, but you need to make sure you point port 21 and other ports you plan to check to the Windows PC running port detective. Once you find a port that is open, you can then forward that port to the LAN IP of your server. |
