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Connect to localhost? FTP to localhost? (7 posts)

  • Started 15 years ago by mkfetch
  • Latest reply 14 years ago from jimmy
  • mkfetch Member

    I had been using fetch on Mac OS 10.5.5-6 for a few month and was connecting to my localhost web server (MAMP) without issue using straight up ftp. Then suddenly I am no longer able to do that. After reading some it appears that Fetch is not able to do that in the first place, despite my doing it for months. My question is how did i get this going in the first place with a default install? It's probably not supported but Fetching is a good way for me to check and change permissions on my local server site files using the fetch get info.

    I can no longer ftp into my localhost. the fetch console transcript when I try this is "Connecting to localhost port 21 (Mac OS X firewall is limiting connections to specific applications) (2/1/09 12:15:52 PM)"

    My firewall is set with access for specific services and applications - with Fetch and a few others in the "Allow... " list.

    Any thoughts on getting FTP back on my localhost? thanks in advance!

    Posted 15 years ago #

  • Scott McGuire Administrator

    Hi,

    Actually, connecting to localhost is something Fetch is able and supposed to do. We do it all the time for testing!

    So the problem probably lies somewhere outside of Fetch.

    The first thing I'd check is to make sure FTP sharing is still enabled on your Mac.

    * Go to the Apple menu, and choose System Preferences.
    * Click the Sharing icon.
    * Make sure the File Sharing checkbox is checked.
    * Highlight the File Sharing checkbox, and click the Options button.
    * In the Options dialog, make sure the "Share files and folders using FTP" checkbox is checked.
    * Click the Done button.

    If you made any changes, try FTPing to localhost again.

    (If you want to use SFTP instead of FTP to connect to localhost, you should make sure the "Remote Login" checkbox in the Sharing System Preferences pane is checked instead.)

    Let us know if this helps or not.

    Thanks,

    Scott McGuire
    Fetch Softworks

    Posted 15 years ago #

  • mkfetch Member

    HI Scott-
    Thanks for your quick reply. Agreed it's not Fetch -- other ftp clients are giving the same denial message.

    I have file sharing on and toggled it on off, no go. Then I allowed Remote Login for me and tried to SFTP...Fetch SFTP-ed right in without a problem. I think something is amiss with my basic Firewall/permissions setting, this is not my only oddity that has been happening lately

    I'll keep digging into the OS.

    Posted 15 years ago #

  • Scott McGuire Administrator

    Hi,

    Okay, at least if SFTP works, you can us it for now if you want.

    I had a followup suggestion (to check your /etc/hosts file to make sure localhost wasn't being mapped to something weird), but if SFTP works, then I don't think that's the problem.

    I'd try turning off the Mac OS X firewall altogether (if you haven't already), just to see if that fixes the problem - if not, you can probably rule it out. Not sure where I'd suggest you look after that, though.

    Good luck, and if you think we can be of further assistance, please let us know.

    Scott McGuire
    Fetch Softworks

    Posted 15 years ago #

  • mkfetch Member

    * In the Options dialog, make sure the "Share files and folders using FTP" check box is checked.

    Doh! I just looked at this setting and it's not checked. I don't ever remember checking it, but it may have come over when i migrated from Tiger.

    So the solution was to check the options and select "Share files and folders using FTP"

    Is there any security risks turning FTP on? I'm on a closed WEP protected wireless network with no firewall other than default mac os.

    Thanks again for your help and info.

    Posted 15 years ago #

  • Scott McGuire Administrator

    Hi,

    Glad to hear you found the source of the problems. (The way to turn on FTP sharing was a lot more obvious in 10.4 than it is on 10.5.)

    In theory, if you have FTP sharing on, someone could attempt to FTP to your Mac. You definitely want to make sure guest and anonymous access is off (you can double-check that in the File Sharing options of the Sharing Preferences pane); then they would have to know (or guess) your Mac's administrative username and password to log in to your Mac.

    Plus, if your Mac is behind a NAT (that is, your router is sharing IP addresses to various machines) and you haven't set up any port mapping for FTP on the NAT, it will be difficult or impossible for someone to FTP directly into your Mac from outside your network; however, if you have set it up so you can FTP to your Mac from outside your network to your Mac, it is remotely possible that other people could get in as well.

    So, it's probably not a big security risk, but of course any additional service you enable on your Mac does increase the risk some. If you want to play it safe, you may want to only enable FTP sharing when you actually need it because you're doing work that requires it, instead of leaving it on all the time.

    Also you should consider just using SFTP instead of FTP - your password will always be protected by encryption then (unlike in FTP, where the password is transmitted unencrypted). If you're accessing your Mac from outside your network, you should definitely only use SFTP to do that.

    I hope these thoughts help.

    Best,

    Scott McGuire
    Fetch Softworks

    Posted 15 years ago #

  • jimmy Member

    Scott McGuire

    Thank youThank youThank youThank youThank you.
    been trying to do this for hours! I was just about to give up and found this.

    Posted 14 years ago #

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