qptech blog

I setup an ftp server on my linux machine today. It was easy. I wanted to be able to transfer files from Tim's Windows box to my Linux box, but it's a pain to try to connect to a windows SMB network using linux - it is possible, but not easy. SMB is not a standardized protocol, it changes with every version and update to windows and is pretty poorly designed in the first place.

With the ftp server running on my linux machine, I can use any ftp client on the network to connect to the machine, log in with my user account and access my home directory - read and write access. I can setup anonymous login and all kinds of other neat stuff.

I am only running it to allow transfers on my local network, not through the internet, so my router blocks ftp connections.

I may set it up for public access in the near future though.