Fetch Help: Allowing Fetch to work with the Mac OS X 10.5 firewall

Fetch Help > Using Fetch > Allowing Fetch to work with the Mac OS X 10.5 firewall

If you are having trouble connecting to a server, one of the possible reasons is that it requires active FTP connections, and you have the Mac OS X firewall enabled. Active FTP connections cannot work successfully with any firewall. For more information about active and passive mode connections, see the active and passive FTP help topic.

On Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and later, it is possible to tell the Mac OS X firewall to allow an exception for Fetch while continuing to shield your computer from other network communications. Unfortunately, this feature is not available for Mac OS X 10.4 and earlier; on those versions of Mac OS X, you will have to turn the firewall off temporarily.

Note that you do not usually need to change your firewall settings in order for Fetch to work successfully. If you are experiencing problems connecting with a server, you should first check for other, more common causes, such as:

Verify that you have the correct hostname, username, and password.
Verify that the server is running.
Make sure you are trying passive FTP connections first, which are more compatible with firewalls than active FTP connections. Choose to Fetch > Preferences, click the General tab, and make sure the Use passive mode transfers (PASV) checkbox is checked.

If none of these help, then you should see if your Mac OS X firewall could be causing the problem. If your Mac OS X firewall is not turned on, it is not the cause of the problem, and changing its settings will not help.

The instructions below apply to Mac OS X 10.5 or later only.

To check to if your Mac OS X firewall is enabled:

Go to the Apple menu, and choose System Preferences.
Click the Security icon (or choose View > Security).
Click the Firewall tab.
If the Allow all incoming connections button is selected, stop here. Your Mac OS X firewall is not enabled. You should contact the server administrator (the person or people who maintain the server you are trying to connect to) for further advice.

Otherwise, continue:

Click the Set access for specific services and applications button.
Click the Add (+) button (beneath the large white rectangle).
A dialog to select an application appears. Find the Fetch application, and click Add.
The Fetch icon should now be listed in the Firewall preferences window, saying "Allow incoming connections."
Close the Firewall System Preferences window.

From now on, the Mac OS X firewall will allow active FTP connections made by Fetch to succeed.

Note that if there is a firewall elsewhere on your network - for instance, one installed by your company to protect all the computers in your office, or one on your router - changing the settings of the Mac OS X firewall will not help. You will need to talk to your company's network administrator, or consult your router's manual instead.