Accessing external FTP sites from within the Campus Network

The easiest way to access FTP sites from within the Campus Network is to use a web browser like Firefox, Netscape or Internet Explorer. Ensure that the proxy server has been set for Internet access and that it is used for all protocols including FTP. By default the proxy server chosen is used for all protocols. On the staff network the proxy server is 192.168.254.3 port 80.

Simply type in the ftp site name in the Address field of your browser e.g.

ftp://ftp.sitename.com

By default you connect to the ftp site as an anonymous user. If you have been given a username and password enter the following

In Netscape or Firefox the proper syntax is ftp://username@hostname, e.g.:
ftp://jsmith@companyname.com

You will be prompted for your username and password.

In Internet Explorer the form used is ftp://username:password@hostname, e.g:
ftp://jsmith:password@companyname.com.

Having the password in the URL field is however a security risk. Hence when you need to specify the password use the other form in Netscape or Firefox where you will be prompted.

Problems in Internet Explorer

In some cases the FTP site does not come up at all in Internet Explorer due to a timeout.

To work around this problem, turn off the Enable folder view for FTP sites setting in Internet Explorer. This prevents Internet Explorer from establishing a direct FTP connection to the target server. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type iexplore.exe, and then click OK

2. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options

3. Click the Advanced tab, and then click to clear the Enable folder view for FTP sites check box.

4. Click Apply, and then click OK