File Transfer Protocol

Domain	Definitions
Computing	File Transfer Protocol (FTP) A client-server protocol which allows a user on one computer to transfer files to and from another computer over a TCP/IP network. Also the client program the user executes to transfer files. It is defined in STD 9, RFC 959. See also anonymous FTP, FSP, TFTP. Unix manual page: ftp(1). (1994-12-01). Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing.
Census	A process that allows a user to download large files and datasets from American FactFinder. (references)
Post & Telecom	The first and most fundamental way to transfer files to and from remote computer sites. Source: European Union. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Specialty Definition: File transfer protocol

The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a protocol that is able to transfer files between machines with widely different operating systems.

It is an 8-bit protocol, capable of handling any type of file without further processing such as MIME or UUEncode. However, FTP has extremely high latency; that is, the time between beginning the request and starting to receive the required data can be quite long, and a sometimes-lengthy login procedure is required.

FTP is standardized in RFC 0959 by the IETF as:

RFC 0959 File Transfer Protocol (FTP). J. Postel, J. Reynolds. Oct-1985. (Format: TXT=147316 bytes) http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc959.txt

FTP commonly runs on port 21.

The objectives of FTP are:

To promote sharing of files (computer programs and/or data).
To encourage indirect or implicit (via programs) use of remote computers
To shield a user from variations in file storage systems among hosts
To transfer data reliably and efficiently.

Disadvantages are:

Passwords and file contents are sent in plaintext
It is hard to filter FTP traffic using a firewall, since the data connection is made to an apparently arbitrary port
It is possible to tell a server to send to an arbitrary port of a third computer

FTP, though usable directly by a user at a terminal, is designed mainly for use by programs.

Many sites that run FTP servers enable so-called "anonymous ftp". Users do not need an account on the server. They are asked to send their email addresses as their passwords, but there is no verification.

FTP and Web Browsers

Nowadays, web browsers can manage the FTP protocol, using the URL ftp://ftpserveraddress (e.g. ftp://ftp.fortunecity.com).

Username and password can be added too to the FTP address (ftp://login:password@ftpserveraddress).

You can create a desktop shortcut for a more easy access to the FTP servers.

Language		Translations for "file transfer protocol"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Chinese		�"案傳輸�"定 . (various references)

Danish		FTP-protokol, FTP, file transfer protocol. (various references)

Dutch		bestandsoverdrachtprotocol. (various references)

Finnish		FTP, tiedonsiirtokäytäntö. (various references)

French		protocole de transfert de fichiers. (various references)

German		FTP, File-Transfer-Protocol. (various references)

Greek		FTP, πρωτόκολλο μεταφοράς αρχειοφακέλων, πρωτόκολλο μεταφοράς αρχείων. (various references)

Pig Latin		ilefay ansfertray otocolpray

Portuguese		FTP, protocolo de transferência de ficheiros. (various references)

Spanish		FTP, protocolo de transferencia de ficheros, protocolo de transferencia de archivos. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

Alternative Orthography: File Transfer Protocol

Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)

46 69 6C 65 54 72 61 6E 73 66 65 72 50 72 6F 74 6F 63 6F 6C

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)

Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)

01000110 01101001 01101100 01100101 00100000 01010100 01110010 01100001 01101110 01110011 01100110 01100101 01110010 00100000 01010000 01110010 01101111 01110100 01101111 01100011 01101111 01101100

HTML Code (1990) (references)

&#70 &#105 &#108 &#101 &#32 &#84 &#114 &#97 &#110 &#115 &#102 &#101 &#114 &#32 &#80 &#114 &#111 &#116 &#111 &#99 &#111 &#108

ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)

0046 0069 006C 0065 0054 0072 0061 006E 0073 0066 0065 0072 0050 0072 006F 0074 006F 0063 006F 006C

Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)

Domain	Title
Books	Kermit: A File Transfer Protocol (reference) (more book examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Subject	Topic	Quote
Business		By deploying GPRS, Internet connections through mobile gateways is fully enabled and services such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP), web browsing, chat rooms, email, and telnet, will be available over the mobile network. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Expression	Frequency per Day
file transfer protocol	139
file transfer protocol ftp	5
free file transfer protocol	2
trivial file transfer protocol	2
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Expressions using "file transfer protocol": anonymous file transfer protocol ♦ trivial File Transfer Protocol. Additional references.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

File Transfer Protocol

Definition: File Transfer Protocol