All Forces

Moving big files through the internet can prove to be one of the most challenging things to do. There are issues of transfer speeds, dropped connections and file size restrictions.

What’s available right now?

1. Email – Most servers have a file size limit for attachments
2. FTP to a server – Most servers have a size limit
3. P2P – Peer to peer transfer is not a private network
4. iChat – Does not provide “Resume” in case you need to reconnect
5. FTP Sharing – Not any size restriction other that your hard drive, can support many connections

This guide will help you set up an FTP server on your Mac in less than 15 minutes using PureFTPd. We’re not setting up the FTP Sharing that comes as part of Mac OSX because that one is tied in to an OSX user. On the other hand, PureFTPd allows you to set up FTP users just for FTP access. It allows you to disconnect them, limit their bandwidth, monitor their activity etc. We are also going to set it up using no-ip.com, a service that will give u a server name in case your dynamic IP address changes.

Step 1: Set up No-IP
Why do we need this to begin with? Every time you are online, your are identified with a serial number called an IP Address. Most users at home have dynamic IP addresses. This means their IP changes constantly. By using no-ip.com we can have the server be automatically alerted if the IP changes.

Go to no-ip.com and create an account.

The basic account is free.

Once the account is confirmed, log in to your account.

Select “Add Host” from the “Hosts/Redirects” menu and create the hostname u want. In our example we are setting it up as allforces.no-ip.info. Change allforces to whatever you would like your ftp host address to be. No-Ip offers a paid premium service if you want to set it up with your domain, but for this example, we’ll use their free service.

Step 2: Making it Dynamic
If you have a dynamic IP address like most people do, you need to download the No-IP Address Client.

The No-IP Client is available from the Downloads section of their website

Download, Install and Launch from the Applications folder.

Enter your No-IP account info

Select the Hosts you want updated

Click on Update Now. It will take the server a few minutes to become available.

Step 3: Set Up Router
If you have a router you will need to configure it so that it opens the FTP port directly to your computer. So much for the thought of going to Starbucks to user their T1. In our example, we’ll configure the Airport Base, although in your case it might be a LinkSys Router. If you do not have access to the router to open the FTP ports, your computer will not be accessible.

First we need to find our current dynamic IP Address. We can find this in the Network System Preferences.

Double Click your active port. In this case, it’s the Airport.

Copy the last part of your IP Address found in the TCP/IP tab. In our case, Airport has assigned us the IP Address 10.0.1.106. The last part of the IP is 106.

Launch the Airport Admin Utility Found in Applications > Utilities

Add a Port under the Port Mapping Tab. Enter 21 for The Public and Private ports. This is the port FTP uses to communicate. Enter the last numbers of your current IP. In our case it was 106.

Update the Airport Base or Router.

Step 4: Set Up PureFTPd
The last step is to download, install and set up PureFTPd.

Download PureFTPd Manager

Install PureFTPd Manager and launch from the Applications folder.

The first time you launch you will be guided with a Setup Assistant. First, you are asked about creating an anonymous account. They recommend you do, so just leave everything as is and press Continue.

Create your first FTP User. You can create many users, or just have one global one. You can even share folders between users. For this step just create the login name for the user. Changing the group name is optional. Keep it all lowercase with no special characters.

Finalize your options and click Continue.

To Finish the setup process, select the location where you want your FTP users to be.

Once set up, select the user you created under User Manager and add a password.

Step 5: Share the files
To place files in your FTP Server, just move the files to the user folder you wan to. In our example we created the user “victor”. That’s the folder we would place the files in.

For someone to access your FTP Server they need to connect with an FTP Application like Transmit to the server yourhostname.no-ip.info. Notice that the FTP server is a .info not .com. Use the username and password you set up with FTPd Manager.

Conclusion
Setting up your Mac as a temporary FTP server takes less than 15 minutes. It works in the background as people connect to you to get the files from your computer. You avoid the hassle of uploading since the files are in your computer. And, its Free! This is definitely the best way to transfer huge files over the internet.

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