Specifications

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5 FTP Service
This chapter describes how to set up and manage File
Transfer Protocol (FTP) service in Mac OS X Server.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a simple way for computers of any type to transfer files
over the Internet. Someone using any computer that supports FTP or an FTP client
application can connect to your FTP server and upload or download files (depending
on the permissions you set). Most Internet browsers and a number of freeware and
shareware applications can be used to access your FTP server.
FTP service in Mac OS X Server is based on the source code for Washington University’s
FTP server, known as “wu-FTPd.” However, the original source code has been
extensively modified to provide a better user experience. Some of these differences are
described in the following sections.
A Secure FTP Environment
Most FTP servers restrict users to specific directories on the server. Users can see folders
and files only in these directories, so the server is kept quite secure. Users cannot
access volumes mounted outside the restricted directories, and symbolic links and
aliases cannot reach outside these boundaries.
FTP service in Mac OS X Server expands the restricted environment to allow access to
symbolic links while still providing a secure FTP environment. You can allow FTP users
access to the FTP root directory, their home directory, or to any other directory on the
server that you set up as an FTP share point.
A user’s access to the FTP root directory, FTP share points, and their home directory is
determined by the user environment you specify (as described in the following section)
and by their access privileges.
Note: The FTP service enforces ACL permissions.