Fetch Softworks

problem accessing Mac OS FTP server (5 posts)

• Started 18 years ago by wygk
• Latest reply 18 years ago from Jim Matthews

• wygk Member

  I'm running Mac OS 10.3.5. I enabled FTP access in the Sharing control panel.

  From another Mac on the same hub, I run Fetch. I am able to log in, but I get to a point where the transcript window says "entering passive mode" - and that's all she wrote.

  The dog keeps running, and eventually the connectiion tims out.

  This seems like it ought to be very, very simple. Is anyone else running FTP access on their Mac? What's the trick to make this work???

  Posted 18 years ago #

• aarbabian Member

  This is the same problem as I'm facing, but I’m actually able to upload the first few files (30200) and than it stops.
  Let me know the trick if u happen to find out.

  Thanks

  Posted 18 years ago #

• Jim Matthews Administrator

  wygk: Do you have the Firewall feature enabled in the Sharing panel of the server machine? If so I'd try turning it off.

  Thanks,

  Jim Matthews
  Fetch Softworks

  Posted 18 years ago #

• wygk Member

  turning off the firewall works... but this clearly isn't an acceptable solution.

  I had set up the firewall to allow FTP access.

  Why doesn't it work? Is there a bug in the Mac OS X firewall code, or ftp server? Or is there a bug in Fetch?

  Has anyone tested using Fetch to connect to a Mac OS X ftp server, with the firewall on and ftp server enabled?

  Posted 18 years ago #

• Jim Matthews Administrator

  This problem is intrinsic to the FTP protocol. If you use passive mode, your client has to make a connection to a randomly chosen port on the server every time you want to transfer data. If the server is running a firewall that firewall will block connections to random ports, and passive mode won't work. [This is the most common reason why passive mode doesn't work].

  On the other hand, if you turn passive mode off the server needs to make a connection to a randomly chosen port on the client, and if the client has a firewall that won't work.

  Most FTP is done in passive mode because most FTP servers are not behind firewalls.

  Thanks,

  Jim Matthews
  Fetch Softworks

  Posted 18 years ago #