Helpful hints for using FTP

If you want to use FTP from a Unix shell account, try NCFTP, an implementation of FTP that is superior to the standard FTP found on most systems. NCFTP supports up/down arrows for history, caches, and directories, and has many more features.

To use NCFTP, at the Unix prompt, enter:

Replace host with the name of the site to which you wish to connect. To connect to a site that requires a username and password, enter:

For a complete listing of NCFTP's features, at the Unix prompt, enter:

At Indiana University, Libra does not have NCFTP installed, but it is available on most other Unix computers at IU.

Instead of a command-line FTP program, you can use a desktop client like Transmit for Mac OS X. You can also use most web browsers; Mozilla's Firefox and SeaMonkey are both good options. Desktop clients and browsers are both much easier to use than command-line based FTP programs and allow you to transfer items directly to your hard disk. To access an FTP site via a web browser (and some FTP clients), use a URL such as:

You can also download many files via anonymous FTP from web sites. Obtaining files via the web is usually easier than FTP and rarely involves usernames and passwords.

At Indiana University, to get support for personal or departmental Linux or Unix systems, see At IU, how do I get support for Linux or Unix?

Also see:

• In command line FTP, how can I avoid being timed out when transferring a long file?
• When using FTP, why might programs and files fail to transfer properly?
• In FTP, how do I regain the Username: prompt?
• What is anonymous FTP?
• With command line FTP, how can I transfer a group of files without typing out all their names?
• In NCFTP, how can I set which pager is used?
• In Windows, how do I use FTP in my web browser to upload and download files to a server that requires a password?
• What are some common FTP commands?
• What is FTP, and how do I use it to transfer files?
• What is Lynx, and how do I use it?
• In Unix, how can I issue batches of non-interactive FTP commands?