CyberLynk FTP Service Functional Description

Transcription

1 CyberLynk FTP Service Functional Description - November 3, Version 2.7 Presented by CyberLynk Network S. 52 nd Street Franklin, WI P: F:

2 Table of Contents Table of Contents...2 Quick-Start instructions...3 What does FTP mean?...3 What is an FTP site and address?...4 What is an FTP Client?...4 Understanding your FTP instructions...5 Understanding Usernames and Passwords...5 Logging onto the Online FTP Control Panel...5 Setting up your Folders/Directory Structure and Accounts...6 Making the connection to your FTP site...7 Using an FTP Client to transfer files...8 Using a Web Browser to transfer files...8 DNS Alias...9 C-Name Alias...10 Secure Web Based Java FTP Client...10 Feature Summary...10 Minimum System Requirements...11 Refer a friend and Earn Money!...11 FTP Hosting Agreement and Terms...12 HIPAA Compliance...12 Technical Support...12 CyberLynk Headquarters

3 Quick-Start instructions The following instructions are designed to give you a quick idea as to the steps required to get your FTP accounts set up and start your file transfer process. 1.) Log into the FTP control panel by typing in the FTP control panel address in your browser s address bar. This information can be found in the Welcome you received when you signed up for our FTP service. 2.) Enter your domain name with extension, user name, and password in the dialog box. This information can be found in the Welcome you received when you signed up for our FTP service. 3.) Create the folder(s) where you would like users to upload/download files. Folders can be created using the FOLDER MANAGER found on the left hand side menu bar within the control panel. 4.) Create an account(s) with a unique username and password. FTP accounts can be created by clicking on ADD USER found on the left hand side menu bar within the control panel. 5.) Map (associate) the specific accounts to specific folders/directories you have created. This is an option during the ADD USER process. 6.) Define the permissions for the account(s) you have created. Permissions per FTP account can be defined on a per account basis. To modify the permissions of a specific account, click on LIST USERS from the left hand side menu bar and the click on the username of the account you want to modify. 7.) Save your information and exit the control panel. 8.) Access your FTP site via an FTP Client or your web browser and start transferring files. What does FTP mean? FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. FTP is the most common and effective way to securely transfer small and large files from one location to another over the Internet. Regardless of whether the files are photos, drawings, software programs, MP3 s, etc., it is the quickest and most efficient method for transferring files. The FTP file transfer method is used most often by organizations that need to transfer large files via the Internet but can t do so via conventional attachments. Most often their service provider puts hard limitations on the file size they are allowed to attach and . When downloading or uploading a file to/from the Internet (an FTP site), you're actually transferring the file between your computer and another computer via the Internet. This is what the T (transfer) in FTP stands for. You may not know where the physical location of the computer is that the file is coming from or going to but you most likely know its URL or Internet address. 3

4 What is an FTP site and address? An FTP site is simply a computer located somewhere on the Internet that is dedicated to providing secure file storage and the ability to upload and download files to and from it. The computer usually has a lot of disk storage space and is designed to provide users with their own secure location (file storage area) on the server. When transferring files to an FTP Site you ll need to know what the FTP address is. An FTP address looks a lot like an HTTP or Website address except it uses the prefix ftp:// instead of Example Website address: Example FTP site address: ftp://files145.cyberlynk.net In addition to the FTP address, you will need to know what the user name and password is for the FTP site. You can usually get the user name and password directly from the company that is providing the FTP service. What is an FTP Client? FTP Client is simply the name given to any software program that has been designed to upload and/or download files from an FTP site. The software program utilizes the FTP protocol during the transfer process, which greatly streamlines the file transfer process. FTP Clients are powerful programs in that they provide a much quicker transfer of the file(s) and provide error checking during the transfer process. FTP Clients also make the upload/download process easy for the novice. The do this by storing all the FTP information such as site location, user names and passwords. Once an FTP Client has been set up (it s extremely easy to do), transferring a file is literally two clicks and a drag & drop. How is it done? The first click is on the FTP Clients Icon, which launches the FTP Client program. After the program is running, the second click is the FTP File Location. Following that, the site location will be displayed on the screen and a user simple drags & drops any file or files to or from the FTP site. It s that simple! 4

5 Understanding your FTP instructions Just as a computer that is set up to host Web pages is referred to as a Web server or Website, a computer that is set up to host FTP sites is called an FTP server or FTP site. Most often, a computer with an FTP address is dedicated to FTP type services. When you sign up for CyberLynk s FTP service, you will be given a secure FTP site and administrative privileges to that site. Those privileges allow you to do the following: Create unique folders at your FTP site that will be used to securely store the files that are uploaded and downloaded. Create unique FTP accounts (user names and passwords) that will be given to individuals so they can upload and download files to the folders you have created. Our basic plan allows you to create 20 FTP accounts and can be increased at any time. Limit/restrict users to only certain functions such as uploading or downloading files to their assigned folder(s). Understanding Usernames and Passwords The process of uploading and downloading files to your FTP site will require a user name and password. Keep in mind that the user name and password you received in your initial allows you access to the online control panel that is used to administer your FTP site. It is not the user name and password you should use for your FTP sites. In order to upload and download files to your FTP site you must first create the folders, followed by the creation of user accounts, which require a user name & password. Once that s done, you can then log onto your FTP site with your newly created user name and password and start uploading/downloading your files. In most cases, your FTP site will be private, not public. Therefore, you will create a unique user name and password for each person/company you grant access to. You will have the ability to restrict the rights of each user to specific directories and other functions if you so desire. Logging onto the Online FTP Control Panel When you signed up for your FTP service you were sent an that included the following information: 5

6 1 - A link to our online control panel. This is the website location where you go to create your folders and user accounts. 2 - Your domain name, user name and password. The user name and password is used for accessing the online FTP control panel and creating your FTP user accounts as well as your folders. The first step in getting your FTP Site up and running is to log onto the online control panel. After you arrive at the control panel webpage, you need to logon. To do so, follow the steps below. If you don t remember what your domain name, extension, User ID, or Password is, please reference the FTP instructions that were ed to you when you signed up for the service. After following the above steps you will be taken to the main page of the FTP hosting control panel. On this page you will be able to add FTP user accounts, add FTP folders/directories, and manage the FTP service. After you have added your user accounts and folders/directories, you can connect to one of your newly created FTP accounts and start uploading/downloading files. Setting up your Folders/Directory Structure and Accounts The names FTP folder and FTP directory are interchangeable. They both refer to the same thing a unique location on the FTP server where your files will reside. During the folder/directory set up process it is important to remember that each user account you set up will be associated with a specific folder/directory. Therefore, the names of the folders/directories you create should reflect the names of the accounts you will be associating them with. For example, if you were going to create an FTP account for ACME Printing, you would first create the folder/directory ACME Printing. Following that, you would 6

7 create a user account called ACME Printing and map (associate) that user account to the ACME Printing folder/directory. By doing so, anyone logging in with the ACME Printing User ID and Password can only access files that are stored in the ACME Printing folder/directory. They would not be able to access other folders you have created for other FTP accounts. CyberLynk recommends that you set up the folder/directories first, followed by setting up the user accounts. After you have set up your user accounts you can assign them to a specific folder or folders. You can restrict the capabilities of each account if you desire, thus giving you more control over what a user can do when logged onto the site. Restrictions include upload only, download only, view, and modify a file or files. CyberLynk recommends taking the time to create a well-organized folder/directory structure and account structure with easy-to-understand names. This will make it much easier to manage your FTP site. Making the connection to your FTP site There are many ways to make your connection to the FTP site once you have created your user accounts and folders/directories. The most common ways are 1) use a dedicated FTP software program referred to as an FTP Client. Such programs are CuteFTP, WSFTP, etc. or 2) use a web browser such as MS Explorer or Netscape. We highly recommend using an FTP Client to make your connection and transfer your files. Your FTP uploads will be faster and more secure. When connecting with an FTP Client, uploads and downloads are easy and fast, and you have more control of the upload/download process. One key benefit that most FTP Client programs offer is the ability to resume a download that did not successfully finish. It s a very nice feature for people using dial-up connections who frequently lose their Internet connection. If you choose to use a web browser such as MS Explorer, your uploads and downloads will be slow, difficult, and sometimes impossible due to timeouts or a poor/slow Internet connection. In addition, the upload/download will not be protected and it will not work if the file size is extremely large. 7

8 Using an FTP Client to transfer files When using an FTP Client software program like CuteFTP or WSFTP, you must first launch the program and then enter your User ID, Password, and the location of the FTP site. Following that you will see two windows that show a list of files. The window on the left usually displays the files on your computer (similar to Windows Explorer) and the window on the right displays the files (if there are any) on the remote computer (your FTP site/server). When transferring files using your FTP Client software, you simply browse either one of the two windows and locate the file(s) you would like to transfer. After you ve located them, you simply highlight the file(s) you want to transfer, then click on the arrow button (usually located between the two windows) to start transferring or moving the files to the location you desire. That s it! Most FTP Client Software Programs have additional features that include: multiple file transfer; the auto re-get or resuming feature; a queuing utility; the scheduling feature; an FTP find utility; a synchronize utility; and for the advanced user, a scripting utility. Some of them also have a third window that shows the status of the transfer and displays any error messages that may have occurred. All of these features will be explained in later tutorials. First you need to download and install an FTP Client. CyberLynk has provided a detail description and listing of FTP clients via the FTP Hosting Control Panel. Simply log into the control panel and click FTP CLIENTS on the left hand side menu bar. Using a Web Browser to transfer files A Web Browser can be a simple and effective method for transferring small files to and from an FTP site. It is recommended that this method be used only for transferring files less than 500K, when a high-speed broadband connection is available (256Kor faster). If you try to transfer large files with a slow connection using a web browser, your attempts may or may not work and you will not get consistent results. To use your browser to transfer files, simply open the browser and type the following information on the address bar. ftp://userid:password@myftpsite.com Replace the words UserID with the actual UserID of an FTP account. Replace the word password with the actual password of an FTP account. Replace the word myftpsite.com with the name of your actual FTP site. 8

9 If you ve forgotten the FTP site location, you can find it in the instructions that were ed to you upon signup. If you ve forgotten the UserID and/or Password, you should log back onto the online control panel and review the accounts you have created. When you enter your FTP information into the address bar of your web browser, you will be taken to the remote FTP server where your files are located. The browser will then display all the files that are located in the folder of the FTP server you have accessed. At this point you will be able to upload or download files to the remote FTP site by simply dragging and dropping them into your browser window. Using your FTP Hosting service for Offsite Backup The enormous advantage of backups on FTP servers: You have access to your data anywhere and at any time. You need to store a copy of all your important files in a different location to where your computer is situated. It's not a great deal of use having the copy of your files on your external hard drive, which is constantly plugged into your computer. A thief won't leave your additional drive for you to recover your lost files; a fire or flood won't distinguish between your computer and your external drive. At the very least, keep your copy in a different location in your home. If possible, keep your backup copy in an entirely different building. Some choose to backup their data onto remote servers via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) by utilizing backup software that allows transfers to an FTP server. CyberLynk has tested and reviewed several backup clients that utilize the FTP method. For more information on backup software please log into the control panel and click on FTP CLIENTS via the left hand side menu bar. Here you will find several backup clients that are compatible with FTP Hosting. DNS Alias IP addresses are not very user-friendly. As a result, FTP sites will typically use a sub domain name for their Internet address, just like a Website. A sub domain name is simple text and is much easier for visitors to remember than an IP address. For example, it would be easier for you to remember the FTP site files145.cyberlynk.net versus Typing either one of the addresses in your address bar will take you to the same FTP site. 9

10 CyberLynk provides the IP address and DNS alias information, which can be found in the Welcome you received when you signed up for our service or within your CyberLynk FTP control panel. C-Name Alias If you have a registered domain name for your website, you will most likely want to use the same domain name for your FTP site (typically referred to as a sub domain). If you do not have a domain name, you can purchase one from CyberLynk for only $35.00 per year. To purchase a domain name simply click here: Most often your FTP site will use CyberLynk s default sub domain. It may look like: files145.cyberlynk.net. You can create a new sub domain using your domain name and point it to CyberLynk s default sub domain (files145.cyberlynk.net) if you would like. When done, your FTP site would look like: ftp.yourdomainname.com, where yourdomainname would be the actual name of your website. The DNS (Domain Name System) is like an Internet directory that controls the redirect of each domain and/or sub domain to a specific IP address. Once you have your domain, you will need to adjust the DNS configuration so that your FTP sub domain points to the static IP address of your FTP site. If you do not have DNS capabilities internally, you can contact CyberLynk via for help at support@cyberlynk.net. Secure Web Based Java FTP Client CyberLynk s Secure Web Based Java FTP Client is a secure FTP client component that runs within your web browser. The Secure FTP Client includes the ability to encrypt all data exchanged between the client and server using the FTPS (FTP over SSL) protocol. It is designed to let non-technical users exchange data with an FTP server while ensuring that all data exchanged is completely secure. Using Secure FTP Client you can securely transfer multiple files and directories, delete files, rename files, create directories and so on all within your browser and without installing any software. Feature Summary Full encryption - Encryption of both command and data channels providing total security. No software installation required - Eliminates the need to install and support FTP client software. 10

11 Cross platform - Secure FTP Applet is capable of running within virtually any web browser equipped with the Java Plug-In or above including Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. Firewall support - Default passive data transfer mode allows you to easily connect to any FTP server from behind a firewall. Transfer mode support - Transfer files using either ASCII or Binary transfer mode. Multiple file transfer - Powerful feature allows you to upload entire directories with ease. Permissions support - Limit what your FTP users can see and do Transfer status monitor - Progress dialog monitors the status of file transfers allowing you to cancel a transfer at anytime. Lost connection detection - Automatically detects lost connections due to network timeout offering you the ability to reconnect. Digitally signed - Secure FTP Client is digitally signed using a code signing certificate issued by Thawte, a trusted certificate authority. Minimum System Requirements The minimum system requirements for using Secure FTP Applet are as follows: Operating Systems: Windows 98/2000/XP/ME, Linux, Solaris, Mac OS X Browser: Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator Browser Java VM: Java-Plugin or above enabled Note: For Macintosh users, the MRJ (Mac Runtime for Java) does not include the necessary crypto classes needed to establish a secure connection. If using MRJ you will need to install the Sun JCE (Java Cryptography Extensions) reference implementation. Refer a friend and Earn Money! CyberLynk is offering our current customers a FREE month of service if you refer a new FTP Hosting customer and they remain a customer for 2 months. To take advantage of this offer simply enter the address of the individual you would like an sent to and that will be sent with a link that contains your referral ID. Once the new customer clicks on that link and go through the sign up process CyberLynk will receive notification that you referred that customer. Your account will be credited for 1 month worth the service after the referral has been a CyberLynk customer in good standing for 2 months. To send a referral to a potential customer please log into the FTP Hosting Control Panel and click on the Refer a Friend link. 11

12 FTP Hosting Agreement and Terms For more information on CyberLynk s FTP Hosting Agreement and Terms please visit our website for the most up-to-date version of the agreement. The FTP Hosting Agreement can also be found via the control panel. HIPAA Compliance For more information on CyberLynk s FTP Hosting HIPAA Compliance statement please visit our website for the most up-to-date version of the agreement. The HIPAA Compliance statement can also be found via the control panel. Technical Support In order to process your support requests in a timely manner, please send all support issues to support@cyberlynk.net. Your should include very specific details as to the problem you re experiencing, exact error messages and dates/times the issues occurred. CyberLynk Headquarters CyberLynk Network, Inc S. 52nd Street Franklin, WI voice fax sales@cyberlynk.net 12