Help (pleeeease) with configuring FTP server connection

Question

Level 1

0 points

Help (pleeeease) with configuring FTP server connection

HI...I am so frustrated. You have to understand that I am not completely stupid, but I just cannot understand the process which will allow me to connect to a **^&-**** FTP server!!!

Here's the deal:
Me, graphic designer, designing among other things, websites.
Dreamweaver, the software program that I use to design websites.

So, I design a site, and configure it to upload via FTP. I get the FTP hostname, username, password info from the intended Internet Service Provider, and load that info into the required fields in the Site Manager window. Everything is great until I try to connect to the server....it just won't do it! I get error messages that state flatly that I cannot connect to the remote server, for reasons that are as bland as "username and password information incorrect". I have called the ISP to determine if I am using the correct username, password blah blah blah, and everything checks out on their end. It seems that everyone else but me can connect to a bloody FTP server! Harrumph.

So...what can I do? Is it that something in the System Preferences panel needs to be adjusted to allow me access to FTP? I have fiddled around a little in there, but don't change anything, because I don't know what TCP/IP, proxy settings, etc. MEANS!!! All I did was allow FTP access (duh).
Another point of interest is permissions...somewhere along the way, during my long and convoluted journey with this problem, a message came up that mentioned that. Permissions. Don't know what that means either.

Is there anyone out there that can help me?? I am so confused, and just need a little education. I would greatly appreciate any advice or information. Thanks! Janelle

iMacG4 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Posted on Jun 30, 2006 8:24 PM

Reply

Answer 1

JMEH

Level 4

2,482 points

Jun 30, 2006 8:51 PM in response to literal girl

Hi there - I may be able to help but need to know what program/app your are using to upload your work via FTP... I assume you can connect to the internet with no problems or you would not be able post this question.

If you can access the internet you should be able to access the FTP site, which resides on some server connected to the internet. To upload your files, you need software (FTP client) that can talk to the server, you need an ftp address (url), you need a username and password. If you can connect to the FTP site, you will need to know what folder to open, which I assume you would want to upload to the public_html folder, this folder would contain the actual website you would see on the internet.

From your post, it sounds to me, that your ISP also provides web space where you could upload your design. In this case make sure you have the correct ftp address, this is the only reason I can think of why your correct username and password are rejected. If this is not the case let me know...

If you post your ftp address in your reply I will be able to tell better what may be the problem. If you prefer, go to my about me page and email the URL of your site. ALSO, there shoud be nothing you need to do to your Mac to make this work... Rick

iMac G5 iSight 20" - 30G iPOD - HP Pav 15" WS and Toshiba Sat 17" WS Mac OS X (10.4.6) Canon 20D & A620

Reply

Answer 2

Jul 1, 2006 5:47 PM in response to literal girl

Go to system preferences then choose SHARING and when it opens you have 3 choices at the top SERVICES, FIREWALL, INTERNET.
In Services and Firewall select to allow FTP. and restart your computer.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/DTCP_IP.html
The link tells you about tcp-ip.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25392
Welcome to the discussions
Don

Reply

Answer 3

JMEH

Level 4

2,482 points

Jul 1, 2006 6:21 PM in response to Donald Morgan

Hi Donald - that's quite interesting. I have been using an FTP Client (Captain FTP) to transfer files from my iMac to a remote server and have not encountered any problems or needed to adjust any setting in SYS PREFS > SHARING... I have nothing selected... It looks to me under Services - FTP Access - this refers to Computer to Computer sharing via an FTP app...

Do you believe they were already correctly configured? I would be interested in knowing for future reference... Thanks, Rick

iMac G5 iSight 20" - 30G iPOD - HP Pav 15" WS and Toshiba Sat 17" WS Mac OS X (10.4.6) Canon 20D & A620

Reply

Answer 4

literal girl Author

Level 1

0 points

Jul 3, 2006 8:06 PM in response to JMEH

OK, I think I am almost there. The ftp address that I am uploading to is working - I can log into an index of the files contained in the folder on the server that my files are held in (that make sense?). I can click on the link for any of my files, including the .htm files, and they open up in a window on the ftp server - I can even follow links throughout my site. BUT...when I type the http:// url for the actual website on the WWW, I get a white screen! So what I don't understand is how my files are supposed to get from the ftp (remote) server, to the World Wide Web for viewing at my poor client's domain name! Is this silly or what? I am so close(but yet, so far).

I am curious to know more about the public_html folder - where is it and what do I do when I find it?

Thank you again for your advice! The FTP client software that I used was Fetch (as well as a third-party ftp named surftp), the ftp hostname was ftp-dom.earthlink.net. I finally got Dreamweaver to connect to the remote server, and as I said, the files are there, just not on the internet yet! Oy vey..

P.S. I like your furniture designs!
Janelle

Reply

Answer 5

JMEH

Level 4

2,482 points

Jul 4, 2006 1:53 AM in response to literal girl

Hi Janelle - if you connect to your ftp site and see a folder that says public_html - this is where your site for the www is to be loaded into. The public_html is the folder and only folder to upload your site to, it contains the files and folders (pages) that people will see when they visit your site...

If you connect to your ftp site and do not see this folder, that's OK, I believe you are probably connecting directly to your public_html folder, so it's cool to upload.

Now, every single site on the WWW the needs an index. html page, if you've made an index. htm page, I don't think typing in the www would anything display... if you're sure you uploaded everything just as you wanted and you did not see any public_html folder to upload to, try typing the domain name followed by a foward slash, if you see only a blank page you did not upload into correct folder or if you see blank page with a listing of folders on the left, you do not have an index.html file...

Check 2 things: public_html folder and do you have an index.html page/file... let me know, Rick

iMac G5 iSight 20" - 30G iPOD - HP Pav 15" WS and Toshiba Sat 17" WS Mac OS X (10.4.7) Canon 20D & A620

Reply

Answer 6

ramanan

Level 1

15 points

Jul 4, 2006 7:20 AM in response to literal girl

Turn on "Passive Mode" in your FTP client. That might be why things aren't working.

20" iMac (intel core duo) 1gig ram Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Reply

Answer 7

literal girl Author

Level 1

0 points

Jul 4, 2006 7:38 AM in response to JMEH

Well Rick, it's like this..

When I access the ftp server, the address that is shown in the browser window says ftp://ftp-dom.earthlink.net/ and it's a white page with files and folders listed on the left, with a headline that reads Index of ftp://georgeponzini.com@ftp://ftp-dom.earthlink.net/ The files that I created in Dreamweaver are all there in the folder that I assigned for them to be uploaded to, and there is my index.htm page, but nowhere do I see a public_html folder, or an index.html page file. There are no commands on this white page that allow me to upload to the World Wide Web in any way, shape or fashion. The only thing that happens is that the pages show themselves on the ftp server alone.

Now, I have also gone to the Control Center on Earthlink, where I can also see the list of files and folders that I have uploaded. There they are, in all their glory, in a directory called webdocs/. I can click on the files and they can be previewed in a seperate window, with the title webdocs/image.jpg. Again, no public_html anywhere, and I see index.htm, but no html. There is a button in this Control Center that says "upload", but that just forces me to choose a file from my local folders. When I do choose a file, one of the Dreamweaver files from the website that I designed, an error window comes up and the upload doesn't happen. Grrrr...

So, something fishy going on here. I know that it is merely some small configuration detail, but it is rather like trying to find a small lost earring on a stretch of highway. Help me find my earring, won't you? Thank you so much...I hope I am not aggravating you too much :^ Janelle

Reply

Answer 8

JMEH

Level 4

2,482 points

Jul 4, 2006 8:42 AM in response to literal girl

Hi Janelle: I assume the domain is georgeponzini.com

1. http://georgeponzini.com/index.htm works so we know you have an index.htm page uploaded to the server but it contains no information at all, like you uploaded a completely blank page, no title, no code, nothing, nada...

2. http://georgeponzini.com/index.html does not exist, you never uploaded a page so what we see is an error page, saying such a file does not exist.

3. The link you have ftp-dom.earthlink.net/ is for uploading directly from a browser but I could not get it to work in Safari but does work in Firefox, which you can consider downloading and using.

4. If you can upload from your Control Center at Earthlink.net, that's a no brainer, this is the option to take, you cannot make any errors doing it this way. But that we'll figure out next... It's ok you do not see a public_html folder you are probably already in it when you log in. Where you given instructions to upload into the WEBDOCS/ folder, if so you did that right.

BTW - have you checked with Earthlink that Control Center will work on a Mac using Safari asa browser

5. Your index.htm page/file is NOT where you upload to, the index.htm IS the 'Home Page' or 'Index Page'. You're seeing a white page because it contains no information, but you must have uploaded a file/page named index.htm (see 1 above)

6. If you have files/pages uploaded in the correct area, see if you can rename any file index.html - I am sure you can do this at the Control Center, if not do this on your computer and use 'save as' > index.html - upload this file/page and see if it displays

Let me know what happens, Rick

iMac G5 iSight 20" - 30G iPOD - HP Pav 15" WS and Toshiba Sat 17" WS Mac OS X (10.4.7) Canon 20D & A620

Reply

Answer 9

JMEH

Level 4

2,482 points

Jul 11, 2006 12:14 PM in response to literal girl

Just wondering how you made out... Rick

iMac G5 iSight 20" - 30G iPOD in Slimming Black - Mac OS X (10.4.7) - HP Pav 15" WS and Toshiba Sat 17" WS LP's - Canon 20D & A620

Reply