Setting Up FTP Using a Web Browser - Mike

[Mike Phan]

Hi,

I own a website; now I want to setup FTP for my friends to upload/download files to/from my server.

The best way is to run FTP using web browser (i.e. internet explorer, firefox...). Anyone can tell me steps to do?

I will appreciate that!


Mike

 

[I like Serena]

If you have a website on your own server, I presume you have software running to allow people to watch web pages on your server.
Which software are you using?
Are you using for instance Microsoft's IIS or Apache?

 

[rcgldr]

This may depend if your web hosting service supports uploads via normal web browsers.

You could try using a FTP client like Filezilla (freeware).

 

[Mike Phan]

I am using Apache.

 

[Mike Phan]

For FTP server/client, I am using Filezilla. It works fine locally (LAN net work), but just sometimes for WAN.

To be convinient for all, I try to let people use web browser instead of filezilla client which is required to install to the client's machine.

I google about using web browser for FTP, some recommends to use Mindterm or Putty as tunnelings, but some never mention it. Need or doesn't need the Mindterm or putty?

 

[I like Serena]

For FTP server/client, I am using Filezilla. It works fine locally (LAN net work), but just sometimes for WAN.

To be convinient for all, I try to let people use web browser instead of filezilla client which is required to install to the client's machine.

I google about using web browser for FTP, some recommends to use Mindterm or Putty as tunnelings, but some never mention it. Need or doesn't need the Mindterm or putty?

I see you already have software up and running for FTP which apparently already works locally.
I suspect your problem will be that you have a firewall in place (in your server, in your modem, or probably even both).
The problem with FTP is that it is not really designed to work through firewalls.

Actually I would recommend to install a package set of software containing an apache web server, ftp server, php server, and more.
The relevant software package is called XAMPP.
You can find it here:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/xampp/

 

[Mike Phan]

When I test on WAN, it sometimes works that make me carzy. I checked my router forwarding, firewall settings of the web sever, and on client machine's firewall. I don't know what else I need to do.

As you said "The problem with FTP is that it is not really designed to work through firewalls", so the reason why someone recommended to use Mindterm/Putty to "break the firewall"? Do you think we need to use one of these? I tried Mindterm, but got stuck.

I just download the XAMPP package. Do you think it would change my sevrer's configuration if I install it? My server recently has web/ftp/php server.

Appreciate your help!

 

[I like Serena]

When I test on WAN, it sometimes works that make me carzy. I checked my router forwarding, firewall settings of the web sever, and on client machine's firewall. I don't know what else I need to do.

As you said "The problem with FTP is that it is not really designed to work through firewalls", so the reason why someone recommended to use Mindterm/Putty to "break the firewall"? Do you think we need to use one of these? I tried Mindterm, but got stuck.

Yes, that will be the reason.
But you won't need them with XAMPP, although I'm not sure you'll be able to get FTP to work through your firewall. But XAMPP gives you the options to use HTTP or HTTPS for uploading and downloading.

I just download the XAMPP package. Do you think it would change my sevrer's configuration if I install it? My server recently has web/ftp/php server.

Appreciate your help!

I recommend installing it in a different directory, and see that it works.
Then copy your old stuff to the new directory.
And finally throw out your old web server.

Your welcome!

Cheers!

 

[Mike Phan]

I will try as your recommendation. It won't be easy since I am an electrical guy, not IT. Anyway, I won't give up.

Again, Thanks I like Serena!

 

[schip666!]

Netscape used to have a "file upload" option for ftp, but it disappeared from the menu long ago so I'm not sure if you can still execute ftp send through a browser.

You can however (apparently) still login via ftp using this syntax for the URL --
ftp://[login-name]:[/URL][password]@[host.xxx]/[directory]
I found that on my web-host, the directory is relative to my home, rather than root. So it would be something like "/public_html/whatever"...

 

[Mike Phan]

I am using IE 7. I will try Netscape and Firefox.
The syntax you provided looks strange to me. How to include a directory there?
We have to type a password on URL address box?

Please advise!
Thanks!

 

[schip666!]

With Firefox I got a password popup when I left it off the URL. So e.g.:

ftp://myname@myhost.net/public_html/TMP/[/URL]

Goes to my website's /TMP directory after asking for the pwd. But I'm still not sure that you can upload files via the browser. You _can_ download, but you can (usually) do that with http: to directories under the web server's root anyway.

 

[Mike Phan]

I tried the AMPP package yesterday. Local test worked fine. Of course, it won't work for URL.
Even thought it recommends not to use for production (not secure), I tried to see if we can use FTP over internet browser.
First, I test my webpage, it doesn't work. There is an easy step to change (re-configurate) the reference files , such as .conf file...?

 

[I like Serena]

I tried the AMPP package yesterday. Local test worked fine. Of course, it won't work for URL.
Even thought it recommends not to use for production (not secure), I tried to see if we can use FTP over internet browser.
First, I test my webpage, it doesn't work. There is an easy step to change (re-configurate) the reference files , such as .conf file...?

There's a httpd.conf file that contains everything you may want to configure.
That is to tweak if the web interface can't do it for you.
This is a regular text file.
It contains comments that explain what things do.
If you change it, you need to "stop" apache and "start" it again.
NOTE: Before you change it, please make a backup of the original!

If you use the same port as your old apache server, an URL should work (assuming you "stopped" your old apache server).

If you have problems there's an error.log file and an access.log file that will tell you what's happening and what went wrong.

As with everything, Google is your friend! :)

 

[Mike Phan]

The httpd.conf from the xampp is different from the Apache alone. So we have to look through all pages. And the VirtureHost configuration is also different to me.

I used to add ".txt" to the httpd.conf to convert it to text for editing. The apache can help this, but the xampp doesn't. That is only way to edit?

You are right, I forgot to restart the appache for the changes. I will try again

Yes, I used to backup the original before I change

I used a new hard drive to setup the xampp, so the old apache is on the other hard drive which was took out from my server. I tested URL, and it showed below:

"Object not found!
The requested URL was not found on this server. The link on the referring page seems to be wrong or outdated. Please inform the author of that page about the error.

If you think this is a server error, please contact the webmaster. "

I think something is wrong with the httpd.conf, but have no clue yet.

Any time I question you guys, I tried on Google. My experience is that the Google is not nice as you all :). It sometimes fools me arround!

Thanks!

 

[I like Serena]

The httpd.conf from the xampp is different from the Apache alone. So we have to look through all pages. And the VirtureHost configuration is also different to me.

I don't know about a VirtureHost thing and I suspect it is best left alone.

How did you get the old apache configured?

Note that it is usually best to leave everything to the default.
Only change something if you know you need it (and change stuff back if it didn't help you).

I used to add ".txt" to the httpd.conf to convert it to text for editing. The apache can help this, but the xampp doesn't. That is only way to edit?

There is no need to add ".txt". The file can simply be opened in for instance Notepad or Wordpad. And yes, that is the way to edit it.

I used a new hard drive to setup the xampp, so the old apache is on the other hard drive which was took out from my server. I tested URL, and it showed below:

"Object not found!
The requested URL was not found on this server. The link on the referring page seems to be wrong or outdated. Please inform the author of that page about the error.

If you think this is a server error, please contact the webmaster. "

I think something is wrong with the httpd.conf, but have no clue yet.

Thanks!

An URL will only work if the corresponding file is in the location where apache will look for it.
In your old apache directory you should have a directory somewhere (I think it's called "htdocs" or something) in which your web pages are, or perhaps it is configured to be in another place (check httpd.conf).

In the XAMPP directory this same directory will be there and will probably contain only a couple of files, specifically one that contains the html text "It works!".

I recommend you copy the files from your old location to the new location.
Then an URL should work.
If it doesn't look in "access.log" where apache tried to find it, and look in "errors.log" why it didn't work.

Things you typically need to check in httpd.conf is the port apache is listening to and perhaps the ip address of the server.
And you need to check the directory where apache expects the web pages to be, although I recommend that you do not change it (just to cut back on unneeded problems).


And your welcome!