Professional File Transfer with proFTPD - The Sales Pitch (
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There are numerous FTP
servers available on the Web, and they come in many different flavours. Some are
for Windows and some are for *NIX, some are feature-packed and others are
stripped down to just the basics, some are open-source and others have to be
paid for...the permutations go on and on. For our little experiment here today,
though, I'm going to be using the proFTPD server, a free, open-source
implementation of the FTP protocol that also happens to be one of the most
widely used, stable, easy-to-use and secure FTP servers available
today.
Developed by a team of open-source programmers, proFTPD offers
numerous advantages over its brethren. It's extremely simple to compile, install
and configure, supports a wide range of platforms, and has excellent
documentation and help files. In addition to supporting the FTP protocol defined
in RFC 959, it also comes with numerous additional features, including
Apache-style configuration files, the ability to hide files and directories,
resumption of broken downloads and file and directory aliases. Don't think all
this comes at the cost of stability, though - proFTPD is so robust that
extremely popular sites like SourceForge, Slackware, LinkSys and kernel.org use
it to power their FTP services.
Anonymous FTP is a service offered by
many sites that host software for download. In an anonymous FTP system, users
can log in to the system using the special "anonymous" account and gain access
to the files stored there for download. proFTPD supports anonymous FTP out of
the box, and also comes with built-in support for virtual hosting and restricted
guest accounts.
Keeping in mind that activating an FTP server opens a
back door into the system, proFTPD comes with numerous features designed to
ensure that the security of your system is not breached, including logging of
all transfers and setting access levels on a per-directory basis. Users can be
"jailed" in specific directories to minimize the impact of any damage they may
cause, and all commands can be logged to maintain an audit trail of user
activity.
Intrigued? Wanna see it in action? Flip the page, and let's get
installing!
