FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
Our Definition
File Transfer Protocol(FTP); a communication protocol that allows users to transfer files between computers or systems that has connection on their network.
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Sources and Online Definitions
Short for
File Transfer Protocol, the
protocol for exchanging
files over the
Internet. FTP works in the same way as
HTTP for transferring Web pages from a
server to a user's browser and
SMTP for transferring
electronic mail across the Internet in that, like these technologies, FTP uses the Internet's
TCP/IP protocols to enable data transfer. FTP is most commonly used to
download a file from a
server using the Internet or to
upload a file to a server (e.g., uploading a Web page file to a server).
FTP is the protocol, or technical standard, for sending files over a TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) network, such as the Internet. The technical specifications for FTP were defined by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) and published in 1985. A venerable standard, FTP predates the Web and HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), which replaces many functions that FTP once performed exclusively. Still, transferring files directly via HTTP tends to be slow and offers fewer control options. As a result, FTP is still widely used.
People use FTP for two purposes, sometimes in tandem. They use it to retrieve files from a remote computer, such as software programs, bug fixes and virus updates, and MP3 files. This activity is often referred to as downloading. The second purpose for FTP is to place files, such as Web pages and graphics, on a remote computer, which is often known as uploading.
Comments (2)
Anonymous said
at 11:38 pm on Jan 31, 2008
no tags here
Anonymous said
at 9:26 pm on Apr 21, 2008
also, the manner in which I used to download mp3s before Napster, Soulseek, bitTorrent and the likes...
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