How do I set my Mac up as a FTP server

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Level 1

59 points

How do I set my Mac up as a FTP server

How do I set my Mac up as a FTP server?
When I have done so, how do I set the log in details
Will this FTP address be accessible over the internet, or only locally?
Can I set it up so it is only accessible over the local wifi/ethernet network?
How do I find out what the FTP address is so I can log in remotely??

Why?

I've just bought an Apple TV. Thanks to the availability of VLC as an app, it should mean I can play movies (in formats outside the Apple walled garden - MKV etc.) that are located on my iMac and its connected drives.

The instructions on how to do so, are opaque and use terminology that is meaningless to me.

If I understand the instructions correctly, if I set my Mac up with a FTP agrees, I can log on with a username and a password. Like any FTP connection.

(Using Mojave)Thanks.

iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 10.14

Posted on Jul 17, 2020 5:22 AM

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Answer 1

Timothy Holt Author

Level 1

59 points

Jul 17, 2020 7:45 AM in response to Rudegar

Fantastic. I've set up Hombrew etc.

I assume I've set my Mac up with an ftp address. The following questions remain.

How do I find out what the FTP address is so I can log in remotely?
Will this FTP address be accessible over the internet, or only locally?
When I have done so, how do I set the log in username and password details
Can I set it up so it is only accessible over the local wifi/ethernet network?

As a photographer, I have an FTP app so I can log into my agency's server, and up load images.

They provide me with the log in details, and using a simple app like Vicomsoft, it's dead simple.

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Answer 2

Timothy Holt Author

Level 1

59 points

Jul 18, 2020 11:12 AM in response to Urquhart1244

Tks.

Sorry, I must be extremely thick.

I get to a window similar to this:

I click on one of the SMB icons. And this comes up: Since this a public discussion, I have blanked out the name of my computer.

I have no idea what information to enter, but if I understand you correctly, I can log in anonymously: So I click on "Anonymous Logon, and up pops another screen:

Whether I enter the smb://192.168.1. etc, The name of my computer as copied from the file sharing pane, with or without ".local", etc., enter th password for that computer, or nothing at all, what briefly pops up is a VLC cone with "empty folder" below it.

Which disappears and I'm back at the previous window.

What am I doing wrong?

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Answer 3

Jul 19, 2020 10:50 AM in response to Timothy Holt

You could sign in with your Mac user name and password, but that gets tedious, and probably isn’t necessary in a home setting. Therefore I suggest setting up so that “Everyone” on your home network network can access a certain folder or folders, without authentication credentials (Anonymous login). Each shared folder will have its own permissions. To do so, verify that it is set up accordingly on the Mac:

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Answer 4

Jul 19, 2020 11:32 AM in response to Timothy Holt

Oops, I failed to mention an important part:

Also set the guest user to allow remote access to shared folders:

System Preferences﹥Users & Groups﹥Guest User﹥Allow guest users to connect …

Then Anonymous login should work.

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Answer 5

Jul 17, 2020 8:06 AM in response to Timothy Holt

VLC on Apple TV doesn’t need FTP per se; it will also work with SMB, which is easier to set up, with a few checkboxes.

Mac: System Preferences﹥Sharing﹥☑︎ File Sharing﹥Shared Folders﹥[+]﹥«select a media folder with all your MKVs etc to share»﹥Everyone: Read Only (to allow Anonymous Login in the next step)

Apple TV: VLC﹥Local Network﹥«select Mac SMB»﹥Anonymous Login﹥«select Shared Folder»﹥«select sub-folder»﹥«select media file»

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