Using File Transfer Protocol

Caveat: Ftp access is only supported for client computers correctly registered in the DNS

First, no Ftp access is permitted from outside, except on the so-called public anonymous Ftp servers ftp.esrf.fr, ftp.ill.fr, etc. However, an incoming Ssh plus a subsequent outgoing Ftp fits the need.

A direct connection from inside to the remote Ftp server is allowed, i.e. ftp out is not required.

Since 2002, Ftp is highly recommended for exporting data produced internally over the Internet. All the components of the path now have a sufficient capacity.

Internal users do not need special configurations for handling Ftp, unless the remote Ftp server restricts access to a particular computer. In that case, the Ftp proxy on "out" can be used.

Exporting data to a remote recipient

It can be performed in different ways:

• either the internal user transfers his data files directly to the remote recipient if possible (e.g. ftp ftp.uni-mainz.de)
• or the internal user transfers his data files via out (e.g. ftp out then username = xxxx@ftp.uni-mainz.de) as described above
• or the internal user transfers his data files on the on-site anonymous Ftp server located outside the firewall, and the external user can get the data from there (e.g. the external user will use a ftp ftp.esrf.fr)
• or, provided the external user has an user account on an internal system, he uses an incoming Sftp
• or, provided the external user has an user account on an internal system, he first uses an incoming Ssh then he can use any of the three preceeding methods

The first three different methods are shown on the figure below (the third method applies to the ESRF, and may be different for the ILL and the EMBL).

More details (internal use only)

Special notes for ESRF users who are back to their home institute and try to get data

• Log on our NICE cluster using Sftp with the username and password (received along with your invitation for an experiment)
• retrieve your data files located on the NICE cluster.

• Log on our NICE cluster using Ssh (you received instructions about that along with your invitation for an experiment)
• Using telnet or ssh, log on the system where your data are located
• Use anonymous FTP to ftpext.esrf.fr, create a subdirectory in ~ftp/tmp, put the data files there. (this ftpext.esrf.fr is our AFTP server located outside the firewall, accessible R/W from ESRF)
• From a system outside ESRF, use anonymous FTP to ftp.esrf.fr (the same outside server, but read-only this time ) and retrieve the files from ~ftp/tmp

Importing data from a remote source

It can be performed in different ways, too:

• either directly (ftp to the remote source, e.g. ftp ftp.cisco.com)
• or via out (ftp out, then user@remote source, e.g. ftp@ftp.cisco.com)
• or ask the external user to deposit the data on its own Ftp server, where it can be fetched using one of the two methods above)
• or ask the external user to deposit the data on the on-site external anonymous Ftp server, and retrieve it via ftp@ftpext.esrf.fr. This needs access to a password protected guest account, more details (internal use only).
• or use the Internet Access Point computers (on-site computers located outside the firewall and accessible by any internal user): from there, use a direct ftp to the remote source and copy the data on the local disk; then activate a Ftp server application; finally, get the data from an inside computer by launching a ftp directly to this self-serve computer. This is not a recommended solution.