FTP - File Transfer Protocol

File Transfer Protocol
The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) standard defines an application layer network protocol to transfer files from a server to a client on a computer network.
FTP is based on a client-server model architecture using separate control and data connections between client and server.
- FTP is one of the oldest and simplest protocols in use today and still a convenient way to move files between clients and servers.
- Users connect to servers via an FTP client, a simple software that lets you down- and upload files from the server’s directory and sub-directories.
- FTP clients must usually authenticate themselves with a clear-text sign-in protocol, most commonly a username and password, but can sometimes also connect anonymously if the server configuration allows it.
- FTP is often secured with SSL/TLS (FTPS) or replaced with SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) to protect the username and password and encrypt the content.
- FTP is commonly used for website hosting and occasionally for file sharing purposes.
- FTP uses two basic channels: The command channel contains the tasks involved in the file transfer — what files are to be accessed, are commands being registered etc. The data channel then transfers the actual data between devices.
- FTP connections can be in active or passive mode. Active modes allow server and device to openly communicate over both channels, with the server actively establishing the connection by approving requests for data. However, this mode can be disrupted by firewalls and other similar issues, for which cases there is the passive mode where the server pays attention but doesn’t actively maintain the connections, allowing the other device to do all the work.
- Although HTTP is the only protocol behind the web sites we visit and which we regard as “the internet,” there are many other protocols that, collectively, make up the internet. Other known protocols are IMAP and POP, which are used by email clients to send and receive messages, while XMPP is used to send and receive instant messages. In the same way, FTP is another protocol of the IP suite.
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IP Protocols
- ARP — Address Resolution Protocol
- FTP — File Transfer Protocol
- HTTP
- IP Routing
- TCP — Transmission Control Protocol
The Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is a communication protocol used for discovering the link layer address (e.g. MAC address) that is associated with a given internet layer address, commonly IPv4.
The mapping function provided by ARP is critical to the Internet protocol suite and has been implemented with many combinations of network and data link layer technologies, such as IPv4, Chaosnet and DECnet using IEEE 802 standards, FDDI, X.25 and Frame Relay amongst others.
The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) standard defines an application layer network protocol to transfer files from a server to a client on a computer network.
FTP is based on a client-server model architecture using separate control and data connections between client and server.
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a standardized application layer protocol for distributed and collaborative, hypermedia information systems.
Alongside HTML, HTTP facilitated the development of original World Wide Web, the first interactive, text-based web browser.
IP routing encompasses different methodologies to route Internet Protocol (IP) packets within and across IP networks by determining a suitable path to transfer network packets between source and destination nodes in and across IP networks.
IP Routing protocols enable routers to build up a forwarding table that correlates final destinations with next hop addresses.
The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is one of the main protocols of the Internet protocol suite providing reliable, ordered, and error-checked byte stream deliveries between hosting applications communicating through an IP network.
Located in the Transport Layer of the TCP/IP suite, major internet applications such as the World Wide Web, email, SSL/TLS and file transfers rely on or run on top of TCP.
FTP and iGrid
iGrid has extensive experience in working with Ethernet and also the IP protocol suite, encpasulating, transfering, mapping and converting data and protocols accross many architectures, networks and application types.
Our devices can be configured by uploading configuration files via FTP and also report information, as well as enable file downloads via FTP.

iGW‑S Substation Gateway

iControl SCADA
High-performance SCADA for the visualization and control of substation data. It is able to run either in client/server or standalone modes, providing advanced functionalities such as hot-standby redundancy, automatic line coloring, events notification (via e‑mail and sms), SQL logging, and reports generation.
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