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What is FTP and how do I use it?
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File Transfer Protocol or FTP is used often for uploading web pages or file sharing between computers. Here's a basic run through of what to expect, where to start and how to manage your personal web files.
First things first, you need an FTP program. There are a wide variety of FTP programs that you can use and are rather "user friendly". The more common programs would be WS_FTP or Cute FTP for PC users, and for Mac... FETCH or Anarchie.
WS_FTP for PC users and FETCH for Mac are highly recommended. These programs are rather universal and you will find it a favorite amongst many users. It will also aid you in technical support should the need arise.
If you are using Microsoft FrontPage, it has a built-in FTP. For further assistance in uploading via FrontPage, consult your software manuals and/or help files.
Download: * note - provided here are trial versions which can be purchased at any time. Click on the File name to be directed to the companies web site for inquiries. |
| PC |
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2.42 Mb |
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| PC |
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1.62 Mb |
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| Mac |
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966 Kb |
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| Mac |
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2.24 Mb |
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Second, you'll need specific parameters for your account.
Three things are essential.
- Host/Name Address
- User ID
- Password
Everything else can be left as the default, unless otherwise instructed by your ISP.
Host/Name Address:
The Host/Name Address will always be the site you're accessing. If it's your personal domain you would use www.mydomainname.com OR if you're utilizing your courtesy account that comes with basic Internet service, you'll need to put in the domain name. Example, www.pixi.com or www. hula.net or www.aloha.com.
User ID:
For your courtesy web space the User ID will be your username with your domain. Ex: nohea@pixi.com = User ID: nohea
Password:
The password used for your FTP access will be the same as your existing password for your e-mail account. If you are unsure of your password contact our Tech Support Office at 522-9790 or toll free at 1-888-403-TECH.
Profile Name:
The Profile Name is not important, you can name this anything you'd like. It's a feature that makes it easier to remember certain settings for specific FTP accounts.
Look at Example 1.0 below for visual clarification. |
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Once all of the correct information is entered and ready to go, you will automatically be dropped into your home directory. Depending on which domain you belong to you'll need to ensure that a few things are in order.
a) within your home directory you have the proper folder.
PixiNet customers: a folder named www should be present. If not so, create this folder before going any further.
Aloha customers: a folder named public_html should be present. If not so, create this folder before going any further.
HulaNet customers: a folder named public_html should be present. If not so, create this folder before going any further.
b) your index.html file MUST be within the folder you have just created. If your index.html file is not present within the web or public_html folder your page will fail to display correctly.
View Example 2.0 - 3.0 to understand the above explanation. |
| Aloha & Hula customers this should be your guide. The circled "MkDir" is where you would make a directory if the folder public_html is not present. | 
| PixiNet customers this should be your guide. The circled "www" is the folder in which you should place your html files. The circled "MkDir" is where you would make a directory if the folder "www" is not present. |
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These are the fundamentals of FTP and uploading your web pages. If you continue to experience difficulties please call our Tech Support Center at 522-9790 or toll free at 1-888-403-TECH. If problems occur after hours you can e-mail our support staff at support@pixi.com. Inquiries will be handled within one business day of receipt.
* Keep in mind, our Tech Support staff DOES NOT assist in HTML problems or web design. If you are using a third party program like FrontPage, Hot Dog Express, or any other HTML Web Editors, we strongly encourage researching the help files provided with your supplemental software.
Happy Web Page Building!
Additional Information that prove useful:
Compressed Files:
Most files available on the Internet are compressed. This is to save drive space and time downloading. They come with many extensions. Just a few are .exe, .zip, .arj, .hqx, .gz, and .Z. You will need appropriate Decompression utilities to make them usable.
- Files ending with .exe, .arj, Zip are usually Windows files. Files ending in .exe are usually self-extracting. This means they decompress themselves when executed.
- Files ending with .hqx, .sit, .sea are Macintosh files. The Sea files are self extracting.
- Files ending with .gz and .Z are Unix type files.
You can obtain many of the most popular compression utilities available at http://www.shareware.com
Viruses
You should always check any files that you transfer from the Internet for Viruses. Obtain an Anti-Virus program to protect your computer from these destructive programs.
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