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They can be self-extracting, or you may need to use a program such as PKZIP to uncompress them.įor example, if your Web site is hosted by an Internet service provider, you might FTP Web site updates to such a directory. Images and other nontext data such as compiled programs are sent as binary data, using 8-bit bytes. The server, or receiving computer, converts the ASCII text into a format appropriate to its hardware and operating system. The client, or sending computer, converts the data into 8-bit ASCII format.
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Text files are, by default, sent in ASCII format. If any are missing, it signals the sender to resend them. When the computer on the receiving end of an FTP transfer reassembles the file, guided by each packet's number, it checks for lost packets. Got "noisy" phone lines? It doesn't matter. It's as easy as typing ftp:// and then the Web address. Initiate the FTP transfer from within your browser.
#TRANSMIT FTP USER GUIDE PC#
All you need is a PC with modem and Web browser, plus a phone line. Because you send FTP directly, it doesn't need the extra processing "weight" of the messaging applications needed when you send a file by attaching it to an e-mail message. If a mail gateway at the receiving end limits the total length of an e-mail message, it will break up the file and send the pieces, which must be manually recombined. To attach and send a graphics or map file using an e-mail program, it must be encoded. FTP was designed to send and receive files without encoding and decoding the data. Why does the USGS use FTP? There are several reasons: Geological Survey (USGS) in Tucson, Ariz., uses a single Unix box to provide the data sets that create such multilayer maps and then FTPs the final map to the requesting computer. Want a map that shows the habitat of every vertebrate and plant, as well as the latitude, longitude, elevation, rainfall, temperature range and climate of the Grand Canyon? The U.S. More than 30 years after it was developed, FTP is still the most efficient way to download large files over the Internet.
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