[Info-vax] preventing FTP from timing out

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2012-10-02 18:52:23 +0000, Richard B. Gilbert said:

> On 10/2/2012 8:53 AM, Stephen Hoffman wrote:
>> 
>> FTP is a hideous protocol.  It's inherently incompatible with modern
>> networks, and it's wildly insecure.
> 
> Okay, how *should* we transfer files over the network?  Nothing I send 
> or receive has or had any monetary value.  I would assume that anything 
> with monetary value will be encrypted, or be written to CD-ROM and 
> entrusted to the U.S. Postal Service!

FTP opens a second connection - for the data transfer - in a way that 
can and variously is blocked by the firewalls that often lurk within 
network connections these days, which means folks managing FTP 
transfers are tussling with the related errors, or they're using an 
FTP-aware firewall, or (less desirably) have configured a DMZ FTP 
server that's running with the ephemeral port range wide open.

FTP transmits authentication credentials in cleartext, too.

sftp avoids these issues.  This using an integrated client present in 
many platforms (Windows is lacking here), or via add-on tools for 
various platforms such as Filezilla (which is available for Windows).

More details <http://labs.hoffmanlabs.com/node/530>

> I used FTP without problems for many years!  It was the only way I knew 
> to send files over the network.  I haven't needed to use it for the 
> last ten years or so.  Windows manages to download things to my PC.  It 
> never occurred to me to wonder what protocol(s) it was using.

You're not exactly on the bleeding edge of technology, Richard.

Windows patches are not downloaded via FTP.

As for transfers, use what works.  If that's ftp, have at.  Just don't 
reuse those same credentials anywhere else.


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