After the installation we start the program.

 

Initially, the second computer can be connected to the same local network as the server PC. That simplifies testing. It is essential that the Port forwarding in the routerso that the packages are passed on to the correct PC. See the detailed instructions in first part of the tutorial. After the trial phase, the home server can be accessed from anywhere in the world via the Internet. Thanks to the strong encryption used, the associated risk is very limited. Of course, everyone is responsible for choosing strong passwords. There is also something about this in Part 1.

The program interface initially consists of three zones:

1. At the top one-third the directories of the FTP servers to which we are connected are shown.
2. In the middle area there is a browser for the local directories, i.e. those on the PC on which SmartFTP is installed.
3. Im lower third the transfer statistics and queues for file transfers are displayed.

In each area there are several tabs that you can switch between. It is thus possible, among other things, to be connected to several servers at the same time. The SmartFTP interface is very flexible.

 

This means:

 

You can move each of the areas to a completely different place in the program window or even minimize it to an icon.

It's easiest when we get one Favorites for our private FTP server. You can also export this entry in full later, and thus prepare access for a friend or business partner. He then only has to import the favorite file received into his SmartFTP and can log in immediately.

 

 

In order to create a favorite, we click in the menu bar Favorites, in it Edit favorites . The window for editing favorites opens. In it we choose from the menu Favorite the entry New, and below again Favorite .

 

This leaves an empty entry with the title New Favorite created in the list in the right field. We can assign a name immediately as we wish, or later using the Rename function from the context menu of this entry.

Also in the context menu that opens by right-clicking on the new entry Properties choose. Now comes the actual setup, so we should have the details of an account on our FTP server to hand.

In the tree on the right General choose. In the left pane under Server & Hosting must be as Protocol FTP over SSL implicit, as our host Server address at NoIP.com as well as port of the Domain FTP connection be entered. For our example that would be myserver.serveftp.com and Port 3618.

As part of the login, the Account name with username and that Password in the field next to Password. We can also do this by copy & paste if typing is too cumbersome.

 

 

Let's remember:
We'd assigned 16 cryptic characters, and each one counts, including upper and lower case.

 

 

Then we switch to the branch in the tree on the right Connection . We leave everything on there use global setting , except for the entry Fashion in the box Data connection . We change this on Passive mode (PASV) .

 

 

Now just have to go to the branch SSL under Connection some settings are changed:

• In the Secure Connection box:

AUTH mode on TLS change,
Control Connection Mode on Private (Secure)

• In the Data Connection Mode box:

File transfer on Private (Secure)
List Transfer on Private (Secure)

In the future it can be expected that in Serv-U an option to check a client-side certificate is implemented. This can then be activated to increase security; The required certificate is set up in SmartFTP in the Properties, branch SSL in the Client Certificate box.

These were all essential settings, now we can open the Properties window with the button OK conclude. We also no longer need the favorites window and close it.

Now it's getting exciting.

The first connection to our server is imminent.

Both computers must be connected to the Internet, but a single connection can be used for testing. Due to the port forwarding set up on the router during the installation of the FTP server in the previous section, the TCP / IP packets also arrive at the server in this way. The FTP server on the other PC must be started, a light green one that is not crossed out U shows this in the notification area.

In the main program window of Smartftp we click in the menu bar again Favorites , and select the newly added entry for our FTP server. If we have done everything correctly so far, a connection to our server will be established immediately. In the upper window, the tab of which bears the name of our server, the directories released on our FTP server for the account used appear.

The light green U in the information area of ​​the other computer, its color changes to blue.

This signals an existing connection there. During an upload or download, the blue "U" also has a red border.

 

Let's remember:
Only in the directory Own files We have assigned write permissions for the respective user.

We try these out:
We switch to My Documents in SmartFTP in the window of our server. Any small test file can be dragged and dropped, for example from the desktop, into the empty right half of the window in the remote area. The transfer begins immediately and after a short time the file appears in this directory. It is now already on the other computer.

Downloading files from the server works exactly the same way, from all directories in which we have at least read rights we can copy to the desktop using drag & drop.

For larger files, the Transfer queue, i.e. the queue can be used, as this provides a resume function for interrupted downloads. You do not then have to transfer the entire file again, but continue from the point at which the transfer broke off. In this way, even transmissions of several GB are not a problem, despite the compulsory DSL disconnection. The transfer queue is used by dragging and dropping with the right mouse button instead of the usual left mouse button. After releasing the button at the destination, a selection appears in which you can choose Queue. The file is not transferred immediately, but appears in the transfer queue.

 

 

In this way, several files can be transferred one after the other without having to wait for the transfer of a single file to be completed each time. The transfer can then also take place later in the background. The transfer queue can be used for both directions, uploading and downloading. The transfer is controlled with the buttons at the top of the transfer queue window.

 

 

They work like a CD player; Start, pause and stop . After a pause, the interrupted transmission can be continued with Start. A transfer queue can be saved and reloaded the next time the program is started.
At the end the connection to the server is closed, one click on the button Disconnect disconnects. As long as the remote window is still open, the connection can be established with a click on the button Reconnect to be restored.

The basic functions and the interaction between client and server are now checked.

In the event of connection problems, you should always first take a look at the transfer log; it is displayed in the client under the directories in the SmartFTP window of our server. On the server side, the protocol can be found in the Serv-U activity branch below our domain (meinserver.serveftp.com), Domain protocol tab. As a rule, this log provides information about where the problem is. Mostly overlooked attitudes are responsible. We are happy to answer questions about this in our Win-Tips-Tweaks.de - Forum.

If you want to ensure that you can comfortably surf the Internet in addition to data transmission, you should have one Speed ​​limit set up. This is possible on both the server and the client side. For the SmartFTP client, the corresponding setting can be found under Settings in the menu Tools , Branch Transfer, speed limits.

 

 

More tips:
Exporting and importing favorites: menu Favorites > Edit favorites , then in the favorites window from the menu Tools the function Export click. In the list box Source, Select Favorite Folder select the favorites folder to be exported. in The Field Destination above the Export type (SmartFTP, text, HTML) and enter a file name and, if necessary, a storage path below.

 

 

The import function is also located in the menu Tools . You have to specify an export file created by SmartFTP as the source and any folder in the client's favorites tree as the target.

Although the current version of the server and client software can transfer files of almost unlimited size, it is advisable to use a splitter to break them down into segments of approx. 100-500 MB and to reassemble them after the transfer. This procedure has the advantage that, in the event of a transmission error, not the entire file but only the damaged segment has to be retransmitted. We offer the program in our download area for the creation and control of checksums by means of which an incorrectly transmitted segment can be quickly identified (if this task is not already performed by the file splitter) MD5Summer for Windows
 

 

 

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This tip comes from www.win-tipps-tweaks.de
© Copyright Michael Hille

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Using Registry Editor or its tips incorrectly can cause serious system problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Tampering with the registry files and using the tips is at your own risk.