BSELIB

FTP allows you to transfer a copy of a file between two computers of the internet if you have an account on both machines or if you use the anonymous account on the machine holding the archive of files. Here’s how you make the initial connection.

1. FTP allows you to copy (transfer) files from one machine to another, in much the same way as you copy files in your own account’s subdirectories. With ftp you can copy files from your account to a distant or remote computer, and you can copy files on the remote machine to your account.
2. To establish an ftp connection, as with so many other activities on the internet, you must know the internet address of the remote computer you wish to connect.
3. To connect, type ftp followed by the address you wish to connect with and enter. When you attempt to establish an ftp connection with another computer, it will ask you to identify your self with username and the password.
4. If you do not have your own account on the remote computer, you must make use of anonymous ftp. All of the public archives on the internet allow you to use  anonymous ftp. When asked to identify your self, type anonymous for your username and supply your internet e-mail address as your password.
5. First we’ll establish the connection and see what the anonymous login process looks like. Type ftp rtfm.mid.edu. This will start the ftp program in your machine, causing it to contact the machine you specified (in this case rtfm) and negotiate for an ftp connection.
6. When the connection is establish, the remote computer will ask you for identification. If you had the account on the machine you would type your username. To employ the anonymous ftp service, type anonymous when prompted for a name.
7. The remote machine now asks for password. When you are logging in anonymously, enter your full internet address as your password. This allows administrators of the archive to know who is browsing in their archive.
8. The machine now tells you if it accepts your connection. Occasionally, your request for connection will be rejected because the archive already has many anonymous connections as it will accept. Some archives will display a special message when you do connect . You should take a moment to read this welcoming message. Break this connection and quit the ftp program by typing bye at the ftp prompt.